The Secrets We Keep
by demonixjezter
Summary: Arnold is back in Hillwood after being gone for over 15 years. Helga tried to forget him but than man he has become intrigues her. Can she handle the truths of his past? Can Arnold deal with the secrets that he uncovers?
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Hey Arnold.**

**Chapter 1-My Name is Isabella**

**Johanssen Residence**

Helga Pataki hadn't seen Phoebe in six months, though they talked almost daily. Helga spent the last six months in Nevada setting up a new electronics emporium. When Bob died of a heart attack when she was 22, she and Olga took control of the beeper empire. They changed the name to "Electronics Unlimited", and started selling all electronics. Olga handled matters from their headquarters in Hillwood. Helga traveled, scouting new locations, and went to electronics conventions to keep up on the latest technology. That was her job for the company. A position she created. She hardly spent anytime at home. She still wrote, and her travels around country gave her new sources of motivation.

Las Vegas was her latest project. She cut the ceremonial ribbon for a new store two days ago. Construction and store setup were completed early, so she held the grand opening and came home. She wasn't supposed to be back in Hillwood for another week. Since she was early, she decided to pay a surprise visit to her best friend and nieces. She was currently standing at their front door.

She knocked thee times and waited. The door opened. "Hold on girls, I will be back there to help you in a….Helga?" Phoebe said. "What are you doing here?" She looked surprised and nervous at the same time. Phoebe look over her shoulder, then back at Helga. "I thought you weren't due back until next week."

"I got back early and decided to surprise you." Helga said. She pulled Phoebe into a hug. "Plus, I figured you could use an extra hand planning the girl's birthday party." Helga walked into the apartment and sat down on the couch. "Where are the girls?

"Aunt Phoebe?" A girl's voice called from the twin's room.

Helga looked at the back of the apartment then to Phoebe. "Who is that?" She asked. She didn't recognize the voice.

"I am babysitting for a friend." Phoebe said. She turned and called out. "Girls, you have a visitor." Phoebe was a mother of twin girls, Asami and Sakura. They would be celebrating their sixth birthday the following weekend. They were identical twins, and played the part fairly well. They would speak at the same time and finish each other's sentences. They would wear the same outfit or go by each other's name to confuse people. A trick they constantly played on their father.

Three young girls walked into the living room. Seeing who their guest was they shouted out. "Auntie Helga!" They ran and jumped into her arms. Helga hugged the girls tightly then let them go. She took a good at them, trying to figure out which was which. They were the perfect mixture of their parents. They were mini versions of Phoebe with Gerald's complexion and hair. Helga loved the two girls like they were her own.

"Aunt Phoebe?" A slightly accented voice called from behind Phoebe. "The twins and I wanted to watch another movie, but the disk isn't in the case.

"It's ok sweetie. I will look for it." Phoebe said to the girl. She saw Helga looking at the girl with interest. "Today of all days." She thought to herself. She introduced the girl to Helga. "Izzy, this is my friend, Helga Pataki." Phoebe knew that it wouldn't take long for Helga to figure out who the girl's father was.

"Hello Ms. Pataki." the girl said, walking up to Helga with her hand extended. "My name is Isabella, Isabella Shortman, everyone calls me Izzy."

Helga looked back at the girl, noticing her resemblance to a certain person. Helga looked at Phoebe, her eyes full of surprise. The shaped of the girls head was the same shape as his, only not as oblong. Her eyes were exact duplicates of his. "Those damn eyes." Helga thought to herself. They were the same shade of greens as his, and just as beautiful, especially against her caramel skin. She was a very pretty girl. Helga figured she was older than the twins by one or two years. She was dressed in a pair of baggy blue jeans, a purple plaid shirt that was a little too big for her with purple converses. "Criminey, she even dresses like he used to." Her long jet black hair was in a single thick braid. The little girl's slight accent gave the impression of Latin decent. Helga realized that she was still shaking the girl's hand. "Sorry about that, spaced out for the moment." She said.

"Izzy? Here is the movie." Phoebe said, handing the girl a disc. "Do you guys need anything else?"

"No, Aunt Phoebe." She said. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Pataki. Come on girls, let's go watch the movie.

"Bye, Auntie Helga." The twins said in perfect unison. Helga loved it when they did that. The girls followed Izzy back to their room.

The room fell silent once the girls were gone. Phoebe figured that the next conversation was going to be an awkward one. The two women hadn't had a conversation about Arnold in over 15 years, and their first conversation would be about his eight year old daughter. Few people knew that Arnold moved back to Hillwood a year ago. Even less knew about his daughter. Arnold had a tendency to shelter the girl. She had to beg Arnold to let her attend twin's birthday party. Phoebe figured that she could make new friends at there. Phoebe purposely invited a few of her friends that had kids Izzy's age, for that very reason. The girl didn't have any friends aside from Asami and Sakura, but they were younger than her. She needed friend her own age. Arnold could be too overprotective at times. As for Arnold, she didn't know if he had any friends outside herself, Gerald, Susie and Derrick. Even after living in Hillwood a year, he was still a mystery wrapped in an enigma. A cough brought her out of her thoughts.

"So…Aunt Phoebe, huh?" Helga smiled at her. "I don't have to ask who her father is. She seems a little old to be hanging with five year olds.

"She is eight. The twins look at her like an older sister." Phoebe said. "She is an amazing little girl. She was keeping an eye on them for me, while I plan the party. She is just like him…before…you know…."

She knew all too well what she was talking about. Arnold changed from a helpful, optimistic goody two shoes, to a quiet, cold, loner with serious anger issues. She thought about what happened to his parents, and grandparent. Without thinking, Helga asked. "Where is her mom?" Phoebe's facial expression changed at the question. Helga already knew the answer.

"She died when Izzy was a baby. Arnold doesn't talk about her much." Phoebe said with a somber look on her face. She thought of Arnold's account of the events that caused her death and the aftermath that ensued. Phoebe could sleep for a week after that story. "Her mom's death was a tragedy that led to a series catastrophic events." She said to Helga.

"Was it really that bad?" Helga asked nervously. She wanted to ask what happened, but she knew that Phoebe wouldn't say. Tragedy followed Arnold like it was his shadow.

"You have no idea." Phoebe said hoping to change the subject. "So, are you going to help me with this party or not."

**Shortman Residence**

"Do you think she will like it?" Arnold asked.

"They did exactly what she wanted." Gerald said. "I can't believe she went with blue and purple."

"Her favorite colors. It's hard to believe, two weeks ago this was my old room." Arnold said. "The end of era." Arnold looked around at what used to be the room every boy in his class coveted. The carpet was no longer the orange and yellow pattern he grew up with. The carpet now plush and blue. The steps and bed that were once parallel to his book shelf were gone. The bookshelf was still there, but modified to fit the headboard of full size bed. The bed was perpendicular to the bookshelf. The walls, once blue and green, now a dark purple with white trim. The red couch that folded out of the wall had been replaced. It still remotely folded out, but the couch was now purple with armrest. There was new desk, computer, and a flat screen TV that was mounted to wall above the desk.

Arnold wouldn't normally spoil his daughter like this, but this was her first real room. Arnold and Izzy moved around after her mother's death. The past year being first time they were stationary for more than a year. Arnold wasn't the same man after that incident. If it wasn't for Isabella, Arnold wouldn't have gotten himself back on track. She was his guide back to the world of the sane. This was his way of showing appreciation.

Arnold was currently giving Gerald a tour of the finished product. "The whole house looks good man. It's been a long year but everything is finally finished." They left Izzy's room, closing the door so that he could surprise her later. "How many rooms does it have now?" Gerald asked.

"Izzy'r room makes four bedrooms plus my office. Five bathrooms if you count the half bath in the basement." Arnold said. "Izzy's private bathroom looks just like her room. Purple and blue everywhere."

Arnold spent the last year having the boarding house restored from the bottom up. Any and all flaws in the buildings structure were found and repaired. The plumbing and electrical were replaced. He showed Gerald each of the remaining bedrooms and his office. The layouts of the rooms changed. Instead of several small rooms, there were three large suites, each with its own bathroom. Since his bedroom, bathroom and office were connected, the last bathroom became Izzy's. Her room and bathroom were the last projects. The whole process had been long and expensive, but it was finally complete.

There were no borders. Ernie married Lola. They moved to California to further her modeling career. Mr. Hyunh and Mai moved to Miami. Mr. Hyunh wanted to retire somewhere warm. After Susie and Derrick got married, they moved to a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. The boarding house remained empty until Arnold finally decided to come back to it.

"Arnold? Can I ask you something? Gerald asked. "I wanted to ask about the room in the basement. It was the first modification you made and after it was built you locked it up tight. Today, I noticed that it had a keypad on it. What is it?"

It's just my workshop." Arnold said. "I'll show it to you.

Gerald understood what Arnold meant by the term workshop. "Is "Persephone" in there?" Gerald asked. Arnold smiled but didn't reply. The two men walked down to the basement.

Arnold converted the basement into a gym/laundry room/workshop. The entered the basement and walked towards the one of the two doors in the space. Arnold pressed a code onto the keypad on the wall beside the door. The door lock clicked. Arnold and Gerald walked inside. A waist high metal workbench traced three walls of the rectangular room. The items hanging on the walls caught Gerald's attention. He knew that Arnold had weapons, but it surprised him how many different types he had. One wall had guns of different sizes, types and calibers. The opposite wall held knives, arrows, swords and other assorted tools that would be useful in combat. Below the workbench were several drawers that held actual tools. The space wasn't just an armory, it was also an actual space for Arnold to fix things.

"Do you need so many?" Gerald asked, looking around the room until he found what he was looking for. On the smaller of the walls sat "Persephone," Arnold's sniper rifle. Arnold usually had it with him in the pictures that he would send Gerald. He had never seen it in real life. He wasn't a gun nut, nor did he own one. He respected that fact that Arnold was proficient enough to handle a rifle of that size. He told him it can hit a target a mile away and kicks like a mule. It was presented to Arnold as a going away present when he left his unit. Gerald couldn't lie, he always wanted to fire it.

"Not really. It's more of a collection now. I don't even keep ammunition in the house. They are all registered. Even the big one." Arnold said as they exited the room.

"And you're sure she could never get in there? Gerald ask. The two men left the basement and walked out the front door. They got into Arnold's truck and headed towards the Johanssen residence.

"The code is a random 8 digit number that only I know. The lock cannot be opened for 24 hours if the wrong code is typed in. Arnold said. "And because of the weights and equipment, she will not be allowed in the basement without my supervision. Tonight would be Izzy's first night in the refurbished house. She had been at Gerald and Phoebes while her room was being worked on. It was Phoebe's idea.

"Ok I gotta admit. Sometimes you do scare me." Gerald laughed. When it came to his daughter's safety, Arnold went above and beyond. He pulled out his phone and texted his wife. _"We are on our way. Let Izzy know that her room is ready."_

**Johanssen Residence.**

Phoebe looked at her phone. "Helga." She said. "That was from Gerald. Arnold is on his way to pick up Izzy."

Helga immediately knew what she meant by that. "You think things are going to be awkward?" Helga said.

"Kinda." Phoebe said back to her.

"You have nothing to worry about. I will never set a bad example in front of the twins. Plus we haven't seen each other in over 15 years, there is no reason for hostility." Helga was adamant about being viewed as the good aunt. "I hold no grudge with the football head." Their last encounter hadn't been a good one.

"Izzy sweetie, your father is on the way. Phoebe called out. Your uncle said that your room is finished."

The girl bolted out of the twin's room, stopping in from of her aunt." Did he say anything about how it looks? Did they do it the way I wanted? Did they get the right shade purple?" The young girl asked excitedly.

"They didn't say." Phoebe said. She put her hand on the girl's shoulder to calm her down. "Your uncle Gerald just said that it was finished. They should be here in a few minutes. "Go get your things together."

The girl ran off to gather her belongings "Sakura! Asami! It's finished!"

"What was that about?" Helga asked.

"For the past year Arnold has been renovating the boarding house. Phoebe said. "Well, I guess you could just call it a house now. He practically rebuilt the whole thing. Arnold's old room is now hers, and he gave her complete creative oversight. From what she has told the twins, she overhauled the whole room.

A few minutes later Asami, Sakura and Izzy walked into the living room and sat down with the older women. Izzy was rolling a purple suitcase and had her blue backpack on her shoulder. They chatted excitedly amongst themselves, planning their first sleepover.

Gerald and Arnold walked in the door. "You said you would let me try it once." Gerald said, before walking over to his wife and kissing her.

Arnold shook his head at his friend. "I will, but we have to find somewhere we….."

"Daddy!" Izzy jumped off the couch and ran into her father's arms. Arnold picked her up and hugged her. He hadn't seen his daughter in two weeks. "How does it look?"

"Two weeks and those are your first words to me." Arnold said, kissing her on the cheek. He looked around the room. "Hello Phoebe. Hi…Helga." His voice had a hint of surprise in it.

"Hello Arnold." both women said.

Helga's curiosity got the best of her. "Did you really let her design her own room?" Helga asked, looking at Arnold.

"You can come by and see it if you want." Izzy said, before her father could say anything. Her comment silenced the room. She looked around the room at each adult. They were all staring at her. She looked back at her father. "Did I say something wrong?" The little girl didn't know that the two adults have a history. A history that was mainly negative and at point, deadly.

Arnold spoke. "No sweetie, I don't know if she would….."

Before he could finish his sentence, Helga interrupted. "Sure squirt, I would love to see your room. Maybe you could give me a few ideas for my place." Helga smiled at the girl. Though his face didn't show it, he was surprised.

A smile beamed on the girls face. "Daddy, since the house is done, maybe we can have everybody over?" Her big green eyes staring deep into his.

Arnold look into her eyes. "Ok." He sighed. She had her mother's charm. "Dinner, tomorrow night ok?" Nods of agreement came from the group. He looked at Izzy again. "There, happy?" He asked. She nodded at him. "Well, I guess we will see you all tomorrow evening." He tossed Izzy over his shoulder, picked up her bags and headed for the door. "Thanks guys, for everything." He looked at Phoebe and Gerald as he spoke.

Helga watched them leave. Izzy waved to everyone from over her father's shoulder. She smiled at the girl and waved back. She had to admit, the bond between the two was too cute. "See that wasn't awkward at all." She said looking back to Gerald and Phoebe. "So…how have things been tall hair boy?"

**Shortman Residence**

"You have to stay blindfolded until we get up stairs." Arnold said. You have waited a two weeks, you can wait a few more seconds. Arnold was carrying Izzy up the attic stairs so that he wouldn't fall while blindfolded. Once they were inside her room, he put her down and removed the blindfold.

"Daddy, I love it! She walked around her new room. Everything was exactly how she wanted it. She ran over to her father and hugged him. "Thank you daddy. I can't wait to show Sakura and Asami."

Arnold hugged her back. "Anything for you little one. Now let's ready for dinner. Your bathroom is down the steps, first door on the left. Arnold walked down the attic stairs in route to the kitchen so that he could set the table for dinner. The day had been a long one, so he decided they would just have pizza. When he got to the kitchen he heard a loud AWSOME! "I guess she liked her bathroom." He said to himself.

**Johanssen Residence**

"So tell me the truth, how is he?" Phoebe asked Gerald. They were in their bed talking about the events of the day. "You spent the whole day with him today."

"Babe, he's fine. He was a little stressed as first without Izzy around, but you know how he is when it comes to her. He doesn't like to let her out of his sight." Gerald said. "Both of them are fine."

While the renovation for Izzy's room were in progress, Phoebe and Gerald requested to Arnold that he let her stay with them until it was complete. They said it would add to the surprise if she wasn't there. Though he trusted them both, Arnold never let her out of his sight for more than a few hours. He finally agreed when they got Izzy to side with them. There was ulterior motive to this two week stay. During the two weeks Gerald would get Arnold back out into the world. Arnold put all his energy into being a father, and not much else. His only non-Izzy activities were training and working out. The overall goal was for Arnold and Izzy to be apart for a while. They both needed it.

"So what did you two do today?" Phoebe asked. Gerald mission was to do a "guy things" with Arnold every few days.

"We went fishing. Didn't catch anything, but it was still fun. He had a good time. When the contractors called and said they were finished with Izzy's room, we packed up and went back to his place." Gerald said.

So far Gerald had gotten Arnold to go to a baseball game, a car show, a gun show, a jazz club and even a dance club. He was surprised when Arnold got approached to dance, and he instantly took the girl out to the dance floor. The craziest part was that the man had moves. He spent most of the night out on the dance floor with different women. After they left the club, they went back to the boarding house, and drank until sunrise. They had a half drunken heart to heart. Arnold admitted to Gerald that he knew he was over doing things when it came to his daughter. He thanked Gerald for helping him out of his shell, he really needed it. Phoebe's jaw hit the floor when he told her about the events of that night. Afterward, Arnold seemed like a whole different person. Gerald was proud, his wife was still worried. She did have her reasons though.

"Are you sure he is not manipulating you? He was trained to do you that too you know." Phoebe said.

"Phoebe, look at me." He gently pulled his wife's chin towards him. He looked straight into her beautiful brown eyes and spoke. "Over the course of two weeks, I have seen something I haven't seen in years. I've seen the old Arnold. Trust me when I say….he is doing great. Gerald kissed his wife passionately to make sure his point hit home.

"Are you trying to manipulate me?" Phoebe said, breaking the kiss.

"Yes, yes I am. Gerald said, kissing her again.

**Pataki Residence**

Helga walked into her condo, threw her keys on the kitchen counter and walked straight to her bathroom to take a shower. She didn't know how it happened, but the whole evening, her and Phoebe talked about Arnold and Isabella.

_(Flashback)_

_Seriously, Football head the life of the party?_

_From what Gerald told me, he nearly danced with every girl in the club. He really let loose._

_Was he drunk?_

_Actually no, they didn't drink until after they arrived back at Arnold's._

_A father and he can dance. Its mind blowing. You wouldn't expect that from the Arnold we used to know. And Izzy is just adorable._

_Smart a whip too. Arnold homeschool her and we both know how smart he is. I finally convinced him to let her go to public school in the fall. He is also teaching her martial arts. _

_Wait! What? He knows martial arts too. _

_Black belts in four different four different styles. That was back in high school though. I am sure there are probably more now. He was special forces in the military._

_More!? Wait. What do you mean special forces?_

_I can't go into details but Arnold has had a VERY interesting life since left. I do have pictures though. Hold on, I"ll be right back._

_(End Flashback)_

When Phoebe came back in the living room she had two large photo albums. The first was all pictures of Arnold. He was in different locations but he was always in tactical equipment. Some were from the dessert, some in the jungle, and some in snow. There were a few pictures of Arnold and a group of men. Helga didn't know that much about the military. Phoebe explained that the men in the pictures were Arnold's team or squad. One thing she did notice was the long oversized rifle that Arnold had in his hand in almost every picture. It didn't take a genius to know what he did in the military. He was a sniper. Phoebe didn't give many details, she let the pictures speak for themselves.

The second book was more ornate than the first. She opened it and the first picture was of a black haired, green eyed woman holding a baby. Even Helga had to admit the woman was beautiful. Phoebe told her that woman's name was Maria and the baby was Isabella. The picture was taken in the jungle. She was part of a tribe that lived in deep in the jungles of a place called San Lorenzo. So remote that unless you knew how to get to them, you wouldn't be able to find them. Most of the pictures were of her, Arnold, and the baby. Arnold had real smiles on his face in the pictures. Halfway through the book the pictures with the woman stopped. The pictures we just of Izzy as she aged. Arnold wasn't in any of the pictures. She guessed he made it a point to stay behind the camera. Helga went through the pictures watching the little girl grow. The last picture was of eight year old Izzy blowing out her birthday candles with the Sakura and Asami beside her. Phoebe told her that Izzy's birthday was last month. She understood how why Arnold was so protective of his daughter. She was all he had.

Feeling the water becoming cold, Helga came to her senses. She tied the towel around herself then walked to her closet. She was going to pick out clothes to sleep in, but found herself reaching up to one of the shelves and pulling out a small box. She opened it and looked at the contents inside. There was a small red shoe, a pink book, a piece of white paper and a locket. She grabbed the locket and opened it. There was picture of the boy that she loved in the sixth grade. She was never able to upgrade it because he stopped taking pictures after he learned the fate of his parents. He did the same when he lost Maria. She put the box up and picked out clothing to sleep in. Once dressed, she walked over to her bed and got in it. She swore to never let herself feel anything for him again after the incident following graduation. But, the man that she learned about tonight intrigued her.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Hey Arnold.**

**Chapter 2-Welcome to our Home**

**Shortman Residence**

Daylight poured through the skylight causing Izzy to cover her eyes with her blanket before opening them. She looked at her father's old potato clock. It was past nine in the morning. Her father must have known she would be up all night, experimenting with everything in her room. She let her eyes get adjusted to the light before she got up.

Before Arnold left her for the night, he showed her how to properly use all the electronics in her room to include the intercom system. It was an easy way to communicate from different parts of the house. There was an intercom in every room. Izzy's was by her door. She walked over and pressed a button. Daddy, where are you?"

Arnold replied back. "In the basement sweetie." When she didn't say anything back, he figured she was on her way to him. "We know the basement and her room works. He thought to himself. Though everything in the house was brand new, he hadn't personally tested every intercom. That was a two person job.

"Daddy?" Izzy said walking down the stairs into the basement. She was wearing a pair of blue pajamas, and a large purple tee shirt with blue fuzzy socks. Blue and purple were the only colors that she would wear, or buy for that matter. Blue for Arnold and purple for Maria. She only had one or two dresses that she would wear for special occasions. She was girly in her own way, she just didn't like to dress girly. "We don't have any food in the house." Izzy said.

Arnold looked at his daughter and smiled. "You are right. We do need to go shopping for the house. Go get ready. We can go get breakfast and then shopping." Izzy ran back up the stairs to get dressed. Arnold finished working out then went to get dressed himself.

**Sid's Diner**

Once Arnold and Izzy were both dressed they got into his truck and headed off to the nearest diner for breakfast. They were dressed similarly today. Arnold was in a pair of jeans, a blue polo shirt with boots. Izzy was in a purple polo, blue jeans and her purple converses. Her hair in her signature single thick braid. They reached the diner and walked in. The woman at the counter told them to grab any booth they wanted, someone would be with them in a minute. The diner didn't have many customers, so Izzy chose a booth with the best veiw of the diner. "Always be aware of your surroundings." A lesson he had been teaching her since she turned five. Arnold wasn't trying make her like him, but he did impart some lessons he learned from the military.

A waitress walked up to the table and handed them menus. "Hello, my name is Ruth. Can I get you two something to drink before you order?" She said, without much interest in her voice.

"Ladies first." He said gestured to his daughter.

"Hi Ruth, my name is Isabella. I would like orange Juice please, with a bendy straw if you have one…Thank you." Izzy said to the waitress.

"Aren't you just the cutest thing? Coming right up, bendy straw included." She said, taking a good look at girl and her father. Usually children drove her crazy. This little girl just made her day better. She looked over to Arnold. "What about you sir?" She tilted her head at him, he looked familiar, but she couldn't place him.

"Same as my daughter please, but without the bendy straw, thank you." He said winking at his daughter.

"I'll be right back with your drinks." She said. She couldn't help but smile and the father and daughter. Anyone around them for more than five seconds could see they were close.

They picked up their menus and started reading. A few minutes later Ruth came back with their drinks. She pulled her pad out of her apron. "What can I get for you today?"

"I would like your short stack pancake platter. Can I please have the bacon and eggs on a separate plate?" Izzy asked.

"Sure you can sweetheart." She said. "What about you sir?"

"I would like your steak and eggs platter. Medium rare please? He said.

"I will get those orders in and out as soon as possible." Ruth walked off. She looked back at the table. "How do I know him?" She thought to herself. She walked up to the grill and handed the orders to the cook. "Hey Sid, see that guy with the little girl? Why does he seem so familiar?

The cook stuck his out of the pick-up window. "No way! Hey Ruth watch over the grill for a minute. I gotta check something out." Sid thought he was dreaming. Other than Phoebe and Gerald, no one had seen Arnold in almost 18 years. He walked up to the booth. "Arnold? Arnold Shortman?" The conversation between Arnold and Izzy stopped, both odd shaped heads turned to the man.

"Hey Sid." Arnold said. "How have you been?" Arnold had a rule to never be rude in front of Izzy. He stuck out his hand for a handshake.

"I have been great." Sid said, shaking Arnold's hand. "And who is this pretty young lady" He said.

"Sidney Gifaldi, this is my daughter, Isabella. Arnold said.

"Hello Mr. Gifaldi." She said sticking out her hand, to shake the man's hand.

"To cute." He said to the girl. He noticed smoke coming from the kitchen. "Listen man it was great to see you, but I gotta go. This is my diner so your meal is on the house."

Before Arnold could say anything. Izzy spoke. "Thank you Mr. Gifaldi. Izzy continued. "We are having a housewarming party at the boarding house tonight. You should stop by." She could instantly feel her father's disapproving eyes on her.

"Sure, enjoy your meal." Sid said, running off to the kitchen. A few minutes later Ruth came out with their food. She could feel the tension, so she at the plates down and left. The two started eating in silence, something that rarely happened.

Izzy didn't like it when her father went into what she called his "Silent Mode." "Are you mad at me? Izzy finally broke the silence once they finished their meal.

"I should be." He spoke firmly. "You have to understand, an eight year old shouldn't be inviting strangers to our home."

"They don't seem like strangers. He seemed happy to see you." She said, pointing to Sid. "You need friends, Daddy. Aunt Phoebe told me that you used to be friends with everybody. Then one day you just…changed. This is our home now, shouldn't we get to know our neighbors?

Arnold hated it when she bested him. "Fine, little one. He sighed. "Just let me be the one to extend the invitation. Deal?" Arnold extended his hand across the table.

"Deal" Izzy shook her father's hand.

Before they left the diner, Arnold called Phoebe and asked if she would invite some of their neighbors to their "housewarming" party. They were officially calling it that now.

**Johanssen Residence**

Phoebe hung up her cell phone. "Gerald." She called out for her husband. When he didn't answer, she walked to his office. He was sitting at his desk with headphones on. She walked up and slapped him on the head to get his attention.

"Hey!" Gerald said yanking the earbuds out.

"I just got a call from Arnold. He actually wants to invite people to his place tonight. He asked us to invite a few, since his friends list consist of…well…us."

"I bet this was Isabella's idea? He said. "Now that they aren't moving around, she is going to make it a point to change him. She wants him to have a life outside of her too. I wouldn't be surprised if she actually got him to go on a date.

"How long has it been?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't think he has been with another woman since Maria." Gerald said. "So, five years."

"So should I invite some my female co-workers. Phoebe said. "From what you told me the other night he is a charmer."

"Yeah, sure. Let's see what happens." Gerald said. In truth, he was nervous about his decision. Sure, Arnold may have been the life of the party that night, but Izzy wasn't in the general vicinity. "Just know, we are not hooking him up with anyone, just introductions." Phoebe walked out of his office, going through her contacts.

**Grocery Store**

From the information that Phoebe gave him, the housewarming could consist of 20 to 25 adults and children. She told him that a lot of their neighbors would be there, and requested that Arnold should personally invite his neighbors. Arnold didn't really mind, he would rather meet new people anyway. Izzy was excited to meet other kids in the neighborhood. As always, her happiness came first.

It was easy for him to make friends in the military, no one knew about him or his past. In the Rangers, every guy in his squad was like a brother. It was easy to get along with people like him. When surrounded by civilians, his life and experiences had to remain clandestine. He could give general details, but nothing more.

"Dad! Dad!" Two small fingers pinched his forearm.

"Oww! Hey!" Arnold said, looking down at her. "What was that for?"

"You were zoning out again Dad. We still have a few items left on the list." She said. Izzy always wondered what went on in his mind.

"What else is on the list?" Arnold said. This was their second trip to the grocery store today. The first trip was strictly for them. They filled up the fridge, freezer, and deep freezer. The second trip was for the party. He was actually tired of walking around the grocery store. He didn't let it show though. Izzy was having a blast. She got a kick out of the most mundane things.

"Cups, napkins and paper plates." Izzy said, looking at the two sided list that took up most of the morning and afternoon. They picked up enough to each item for the party, then headed towards the registers. This was the only trip that didn't have a full cart. They heading towards an open register when another cart t-boned theirs.

"I am so sorry…Shortman!"

"Olga" Arnold said calmly. Seeing her sister yesterday came as a mild surprise. This on the other hand, was a disaster. He gently guided Izzy behind him. Izzy didn't know what was going on, so she held onto his hand. His muscles were tense. Arnold looked back at the Olga and spoke. "Excuse us." He started walking towards the register.

"Not going to ask about my mother?" Olga hissed at him. "You know she got out of prison after 7 years."

Arnold stopped. "She should have done the entire twenty. I guess having money means you can get away with murder." Arnold said, not turning around. He could feel himself getting angry. He loathed the woman in front of him. "I am not going to do this with you Pataki, especially when my daughter is with me. So is you will excuse us, we have things to do." Arnold walked to the cash register, paid for his groceries and left the store. "And the day was going so well." He thought to himself.

**Pataki Residence**

Helga reached on to her nightstand and grabbed her ringing phone. "Hello" she said groggily.

"You won't believe who I just saw". Olga said. "Arnold Shortman!"

Helga's eyes shot open. She knew if those two saw each other the end result wouldn't be good. "Did anything happen?" She asked.

"I just let him know that our mom got out of prison after only 7 years." She said. "And get this, he has a child. I feel sorry for the little brat. With his luck she'll probably die too. "

Helga cringed at the comment her sister made. "Come on Olga, that's too much, she's only eight." It took a second but Helga realized what she just said. She knew her sister caught it too.

"How do you know how old she is?" Olga asked, attitude in her voice.

"I saw them at Phoebe's." Helga said. "He moved back into the boarding house."

Unlike her sister, Helga thought Miriam deserved the sentence she got. And it wasn't because of her feelings for Arnold. Miriam had been drunk, driving a hummer then killed two innocent people that just happened to be Arnold's grandparents. Bob and Olga used every connection they had to get her out early and it worked. Miriam was released after seven years. How did she celebrate? She got drunk. A few months later Bob died, and Miriam moved in with Olga. Olga believed Helga should side with family. Helga believed in justice.

"He put our mother in jail Helga, you shouldn't associate with him." Olga said.

"He didn't put our mother in jail. She put herself there." Helga said. Olga didn't even care that her mother killed two people. She only cared that "mummy wasn't home." "Listen Olga." Helga said. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. We are never going to agree about this. You got your mother back, so stop acting immature."

"She's your mother too, Helga." Olga said.

"Right. Bye Olga." Helga hung up before Olga could say anything. Helga only talked to her sister when it was business related. As for her mother, she wrote her off when she went to jail. It wasn't that she didn't care about her, she was a lost cause. Olga on the other hand was in denial. Helga's phone started ringing again.

"Hello" She said.

"Hi Helga." Phoebe said. "Are you busy?"

"Not really. Just got off the phone with Olga." Helga said. "She ran into Arnold today."

"Oh my." Phoebe gasped. "How did that go?"

"Olga threw the fact that Miriam got out early in his face." Helga said.

"Wow!" Phoebe said. "How did he react to that?" Phoebe knew the extent of Arnold's temper. It was ten times worse than it was in high school. Her thought back to the story about Izzy's mom. She hoped that Arnold stayed in control of himself.

"You still there." Helga said. Phoebe had been quiet for a minute.

"Oh, sorry Helga I was just thinking about Arnold." She said. "He can be…temperamental. I am sorry, Helga but I gotta check on him. I'll call you back." She hung up before Helga could say anything.

"Ok…then." Helga said to herself.

**Shortman Residence**

"Shortman residence." Izzy said.

"Izzy. It's Aunt Phoebe. Is your father around? I need to talk to him." Phoebe said. She took a minute to calm down before she called.

"He is in the basement." She said. "He's been down there since we got back from the grocery store. I think that lady made him mad."

"Izzy sweetie." Phoebe said. "What happened at the grocery store?"

Izzy recounted the events at the grocery store to Phoebe. Phoebe realized that Arnold hadn't told Izzy about how her grandparents, or great grandparent died. She knew that they died, Arnold hadn't given her specific details.

"Could you get him for me?" Phoebe asked.

Izzy walked over to the nearest intercom. "Dad. Aunt Phoebe is on the phone." A few seconds later she heard her father's voice. "I got it, Izzy." She knew this had something to do with the lady at the grocery store. Her father stayed quiet on the ride home. Once they reached the house, they put up the grocery together, then he headed downstairs. That was over an hour ago. She was about to hang up the phone, but she placed it back to her ear and covered the mouth piece.

_"Is everything ok Arnold. I know you saw Olga today"_

_"Good news spreads fast."_

_"Did you know about Miriam getting out?"_

_"Of course I did, my lawyer contacted me as soon as the appeal went through."_

_"You didn't…..overreact did you?"_

_"Izzy was with me and we were in public. I am not going let Olga get to me."_

_"So why have you been in the basement for over an hour."_

_"I had to blow off some steam."_

_"So…you're ok?"_

_"Yes, Phoebe. I am fine."_

_"You never told her about them did you?"_

_"She knows that they passed. That's enough for now."_

_"She is curious about what happened today."_

_"What am I supposed to say Phoebe? Izzy say hello to Olga Pataki, her mother killed our great grandparents."_

Izzy was so shocked that she dropped the phone. Both adults heard the receiver on the other end hit the floor.

"Dammit!" Arnold said. "Phoebe, I'll see you tonight. " He hung up the phone, then ran upstairs. Izzy was standing in the kitchen frozen. Arnold walked to her and picked her up. He sat her down at the table.

"Is that true?" Izzy spoke, her face expressionless. "What you said to Aunt Phoebe?

"Yes." Arnold sighed. "It was a car accident that could have been avoided. The woman had been drinking. She crashed into your grandparents, they died from their injuries. She was supposed to go to jail for a long time, but her family got her out early."

"Is that what made you angry?" She asked.

"Yes sweetie."

Izzy looked at her father, a look of realization on her face. "So the woman I met yesterday…..

"Is her sister." Arnold interrupted. "I can understand if you don't want her to come by now."

"No, it's ok. Ms. Pataki was nice. She said. The other lady didn't like you. Why?"

"She thinks I tore her family apart. I just wanted justice for our grandparents." Arnold said, a sad expression on his face.

Izzy got up and hugged her father. "It's ok dad."

**Phoebe's Car**

"He told her what? Dammit Phoebe, she isn't going want me there now." Helga said from the passenger seat of Phoebe's car. Phoebe decided that they ride to the party together, so she could explain what happened over the course of the afternoon. Gerald wanted to help Arnold set up, so he and the twins left earlier.

"Actually that is incorrect, she still wants you to come so you can see her room." Phoebe said. "She didn't like the effect your sister had on her father. It's obvious that she has never seen him mad."

"About that…you were adamant about making sure he doesn't get mad. Does he turn into the hulk or something?" Helga laughed. "I mean I know he had a temper years back, but he doesn't act like that anymore does he?

"Just trust me Helga. The last thing you want to see is a pissed off Arnold." Phoebe said. "It would probably be the last thing you see. Phoebe pulled up to Arnold's house. Ok we're here." Both women got out and walked up to the front door. Phoebe pulled out a key and opened the door. Helga was expecting a barrage of animals, but there were none.

**Shortman Residence.**

"You have a key?" Helga looked at Phoebe with an eyebrow raised. Phoebe's comment from the car still playing in her head. Phoebe knew something about Arnold, else she wouldn't pay so much attention to his temper. The seriousness in Phoebe's voice made it seem as though the thought of an angry Arnold scared her.

"I am Aunt Phoebe, remember?" Phoebe said. "I haven't seen the inside since he started the renovations." The women walked inside.

Helga had to admit Arnold had good taste. If you didn't know he had a daughter, you could think this was the ultimate bachelor's pad. All the furniture was black, all surfaces were glass, but it still had an air of warmth about it. There were more people than she expected, many she didn't recognized. "I thought it was just going to be us".

"Arnold asked me to invite more people. He wants to get to know his neighbors. Izzy talked him into it." Phoebe said.

"She has him wrapped around her finger doesn't he?" Helga asked.

"Actually no. Arnold is actually a very strict father." Phoebe said. "He is realizing that his little girls is growing, and wants her to be happy. That means he has to change some of his ways, he did this FOR her. Just because he is a loner, doesn't mean his daughter has to be."

The women walked into the kitchen to see Gerald in an apron, singing to himself while cooking. Phoebe walked up and wrapped her arms around him. "Hey babe. Hey Helga." Gerald didn't turn around, he kept cooking, enjoying the hug from his wife. He had heard them come in the house.

"Is there anything we can do? Helga asked.

"No. Gerald said. Surprisingly we everything is almost ready. Arnold already had the grill going when we got here. I don't know how he got it, but that thing is freaking huge. You two were the last to arrive, so go out back, and enjoy yourselves. I don't know he did it, but you wouldn't think that this was planned in a matter of hours."

The two women headed out of the back door. They were amazed at the sight. There were tables and chairs for everyone, two large coolers with drinks and even a bar on the deck that was now attached to the back of Arnold house. A very large grill currently cooking an equally large amount of meat. Three men were working the grill.

"My dad did a wonderful job, didn't he?" A familiar voice said from beside her. She looked down to a pair of green eyes. Helga didn't understand why, but she really like the little girl.

"Yes he did squirt." She said to the girl. "Where is your father?

He is upstairs getting dressed." Izzy said to her. "I have already given a tour to everyone else. Would you like yours?"

"Sure." Helga said.

The little girl grabbed her hand and pulled Helga back into the house. Their first stop was the basement.

"I am not allowed down here without my father, but you're an adult so I think we will be ok." Izzy said.

They walked down the steps. "This is my father's gym/laundry room/workshop."

"Workshop?" Helga said. She was surprised at the amount of equipment that Arnold had. She thought back to what Phoebe said about Arnold's martial arts skills.

"Yes, that room over there." She pointed to the part of the room that had been sectioned off. "I have never been in there. My dad said that most of the stuff down here is dangerous, especially in the workshop. That is why I am not allowed down here alone."

Helga noticed the keypad on the door of Arnold's workshop before they started back up stairs. Izzy guided Helga up to the second floor.

"The two doors on the left are suites." She said. "One is for Grandma Susie, when she comes to visit. The other is for guests. The two on the right are my father's bedroom and office." Helga noticed the keypads on the doors of Arnold's office and bedroom.

"Why does he have keypads on his doors?" Helga asked the girl.

"Just like his workshop, they are off limits. Izzy said. "I have the code to his room, just in case I need him, but not for his office. Izzy showed Helga her private bathroom, then they headed towards her room. Helga was amazed. It wasn't the room that she had snuck into several times to keep her childhood secret from coming out. She had to admit, the girl did a wonderful job.

"You have wonderful taste. You designed all of this?" Helga asked.

"Yes," Izzy said before they heard raised voices downstairs.

"I hate to cut this short, but we should see what's going on downstairs. Helga said. She grabbed Izzy's hand and headed out the door. The noise was coming from the back yard.

When they reached the backyard, Helga froze. "Olga, what are you doing here? She said. "You shouldn't be here."

"We just wanted to hello to our new neighbors." Olga said. She had a man with her than Helga didn't recognize. He was a tall muscular guy, currently grabbing meat off the grill and putting it on a plate. Olga tended to date men that were like her father. Big men with superiority complexes, and bad attitudes. Olga didn't make it point to introduce him. Plate full, the man sat down at a table, and kicked his boots up, eating off the plate in his lap. Most of the guest just moved away from the man and kept to their own devices.

Helga thought about what Phoebe said to her when they arrived. "The last thing you want to see is a pissed off Arnold." She guided Izzy behind her, then spoke to her sister. "If Arnold sees you here, he is going to go ballistic."

Isn't this supposed to be a party? She said. "Plus, I didn't get the chance to meet his runt earlier today. Is that her behind you? Come here sweetie. She was looking at Izzy."

Helga felt the girl grab her hand. "Stay behind me Izzy." Helga said to the girl. Something was off about Olga, she just couldn't tell what. "Are you on something Olga?" Gerald and Phoebe approached the two women.

"Olga, you need to leave, NOW! You know you shouldn't be here." Phoebe said.

"And take your manner less friend with you." Gerald said. They were keeping their voices low as to not startle the other guest any further. If Arnold…

"If Arnold…what? The group turned around to see Arnold walking out of the back door. He walked over to the group and spoke calmly. "Olga leave, NOW!"

Noticing that Olga was outnumbered, the man got up and walked over. "Everything ok baby?" He walked up behind Olga. The tension could between around the group could be cut with a knife.

"I was asking Ms. Pataki if she would please leave the premises as she is not welcome here." Arnold said. He stepped in front of everyone in the group, then looked behind him. Telling them to back up without speaking. Arnold's face was expressionless. Helga, Gerald, Phoebe and Izzy walked backwards a few yards. Helga looked towards Phoebe, who just mouthed "I told you so." Helga didn't think that Arnold should try to get physical with the man. He was a half a foot shorter than the man. No to mention the man was huge.

"And if she doesn't want to leave? The man asked. He walked in front of Olga and up to Arnold. The two men were only a few feet apart. At this point, everyone at the party was watching the two men.

Arnold spoke, his voice still calm. "As I said before, she is not welcome here." Arnold stepped closer to the man. "My daughter is right there, so I prefer this not get physical."

"Fuck your"…before the man could finish his sentence, Arnold fist rammed into the man's nose with enough force to make the man stumble backwards. A crunch could be heard upon impact. The man's nose was bleeding and clearly broken. The man charged at Arnold with his right fist cocked back. As soon as he threw the punch Arnold caught his wrist with his left hand and pulled the man in closer, Arnold rammed his right shoulder into the man right shoulder. A loud pop echoed through the yard, then came a scream. Arnold grabbed the man's damaged shoulder, swept his legs from under him, and then brought the man slowly to the ground. He still had the man's wrist in his hands. The crowd around the two men stood silent. Olga's mouth was wide open. She hadn't expected this.

"Gerald, I need you to go in the house and get me a wooden spoon, and a cloth. Make sure you wrap the cloth around the spoon's handle." Gerald ran in the house to get the requested materials. Arnold looked back down at the man. "I just dislocated your shoulder. If you want the pain to stop, you are going to answer a few questions. Nod if you understand." The man nodded. "What's your name? The crowd was amazed how calm and collected Arnold was acting. If you hadn't seen him break the man's nose, or dislocated his shoulder, you would think the men were having a normal conversation.

"Chris." The man said. He was in so much pain. He felt like he was going to pass out.

"Ok Chris. Seeing as you are currently in pain, just nod yes or no. Can you do that?" Arnold asked. The man nodded. "You came here tonight with the hope of intimidating me and wrecking my party correct?" Chris nodded. Arnold chucked. "And I bet you thought you could take me, right?" Chris nodded again.

Gerald came out the back door with the items Arnold requested. He ran over to the men and handed Arnold the spoon and cloth. "Is he going to be alright?" Gerald asked nervously.

"He is going to be fine." Arnold said without looking at his friend. Chris, I need you bite down on this." Arnold placed the wrapped handle of the wooden spoon in his mouth. "I am going to need you to do three things for me once I fix your shoulder. First, you are going to apologize to my guest. Second, you will apologize to my daughter Isabella for messing up our party. Third, you will leave. Is that understood?" Chris nodded his head up and down. "This is going to hurt like hell." Arnold lifted the man into a sitting position. He straightened the Chris's arm. "Bite down now." Another loud pop was heard, and then the sound of Chris's muffled scream. "Let's get him up." Arnold said to Gerald. The two men hoisted the man to his feet. Arnold took the spoon out of his mouth.

"I am sorry everyone, for disrupting your evening." He spoke to the crowd.

"Izzy sweetie, the man has something he wants to say to you. Arnold said. Izzy was currently behind Helga. She walked in front of her, afraid to move closer. Helga put her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Young lady, I am sorry for messing up your party. He said to the girl. "Please forgive me."

"I forgive you." The girls said. Arnold smiled at his daughter. She didn't have it in her heart to hate anyone.

Chris turned to Olga, a look of shock still on her face. "Let's get outta here. I need to go a doctor." He said to her. He walked into the alley towards the front of the house. After about a minute, she followed him.

"I am really sorry about this everyone. You don't have to stay if you don't want to." Arnold said. Oddly enough the crowd relaxed and the party went back in to full swing. The confrontation being one of the highlights of the evening. Apparently they weren't going to let the party be ruined. Arnold smile at that. Arnold walked up to Izzy. "I am sorry you had to see that sweetie."

"Are you kidding me? Dad, that was awesome. I didn't know you could do things like that." She said excitedly. "I mean I know you don't like to be violent, but that was like something out of a Kung Fu movie."

Arnold picked her up and kissed her on the forehead. "Go play with the kids." He put her down and she ran off, more than likely to brag about how awesome her dad is.

He turned around to see, Helga, Gerald, and Phoebe staring at him. "What?"


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Hey Arnold.**

**Chapter 3-Birtday Parties and Sleepwalking**

**Phoebe &amp; Helga**

"He broke the man's nose and then dislocated his shoulder. Come on Pheebs, it was kinda hot." Helga said. A week has passed since the housewarming at Arnold's. The two women were currently loading the last of the party supplies into Gerald's SUV. Today was the twin's birthday and their party would be held at Tina Park.

"I am not the type that finds violence attractive, Helga. I will say that it was exciting to actually see what he is capable of." Phoebe said as she closed the hatch of the SUV. Susie was the person that told her and Gerald about Arnold talents in the martial arts. Apparently he has won several competitions, and even mastered some weapons. Phoebe had not seen any of the trophies or any of his weapons. She figured the weapons were in the workshop, and the trophies in his office and bedroom. Those were the places in the house that only Gerald had seen. There contents inside remained a mystery to everyone else. No one really questioned the rooms with keypads, especially after what happened to the man that disrespected Arnold's home.

"Olga wants to get back at him." Helga said, as they entered the vehicle. "I told her to just let it go, but she thinks he should pay for ruining our family."

Phoebe started the vehicle, and they pulled off in route to Tina Park. "Can I give you a piece of advice Helga?" Phoebe said, keeping her eyes the road. "Tell your sister that even with all her connections, she couldn't handle what Arnold would bring to the table. He isn't trying to start altercations, so she shouldn't either." The tone of her voice had a hint of fear.

Helga caught on to this. "Are you **_that_** afraid of Arnold Phoebe?" She asked. "He seems to be level headed, a bit off in some ways, but level headed none the less."

Phoebe stopped at a red light and looked at her friend. "I am not afraid of the man he is, I am terrified of the man that he can become." The light turned green and they continued on to the park. "Let change the subject, today is supposed to be a celebration" Phoebe's mood instantly lightened up as the park came into veiw.

Helga didn't know how to react to the comment. She thought about his actions the week before. "What else could he be capable of?" She thought to herself.

**Tina Park**

**Arnold &amp; Gerald**

Arnold and Gerald had already done most of the heavy lifting for the party. Food was already being prepared, guest had already arrived, and the twins were running around the park having a good time.

The two women were bringing last of the presents, the cake, and all the things they were going to need for the night. Once the party was over all the girls would be going to Arnold's for a sleepover. There was total of ten girls and twin's asked Arnold if they could have it at his house, since he had the most space. Izzy's room would not be big enough, but one of the suites could handle all ten girls comfortably. Not to mention he did have three bathrooms for the girls to use. Once they pleaded their case to him, he couldn't help but say yes. Not to mention, none on the parents, were worried about their daughter's safety if Arnold was around. Arnold and Gerald were currently on the grill. Helga and Phoebe walked up to the two men as they were talking.

"Are you sure you want to do this? We are talking about ten little girls, ages ranging from six to nine." Gerald said. He was worried about his friend's sanity after taking on such a challenge. Arnold has never had to deal with so many girls at once, at most he had dealt with Izzy and the twins.

"I agree with tall hair boy." Helga said. She had a plan formulating in her mind. "Here's an idea. How about I help you tonight. My schedule is clear, and I would love some quality time with my nieces."

"I think Helga has a good point Arnold." Phoebe jumped into the conversation. "It may end up being more than you can handle."

"Do you guys plan these gang ups on me when I am not around?" Arnold said. There was laughter and annoyance in his voice. "I know the girls do it, but you all too. I knew that this night might be more than I can handle, and I was actually waiting for one of the parents to volunteer. A few have already said something about getting some help. Have a little faith in me."

The three friends looked at each other then back at Arnold. "Sorry." They said simultaneously.

"You don't have to apologize." Arnold said to the group. "I know you all tend to worry about me." His gaze went directly towards Phoebe. "Trust me, I know how to handle things." As smart as she was, he knew Phoebe would figure out what he meant by that statement.

_(Flashback)_

_"You know you freaked Phoebe out last night, right."_

_"I can't allow someone to come in my home and disrespect my family."_

_"She is worried about your temper, rather you losing control of it."_

_"Gerald, I have spent five years working on all my issues. An incident of that caliber is something she doesn't have to worry about."_

_"I believe you. But, you know how she is when it comes to your temper. Not to mention the whole break your nose, dislocate your shoulder, while talking to you like a human being act last night. What was that?_

_"Just because he wanted to act like an animal, didn't mean I had to. Olga is the one trying to cause problems. I gave her an example of what happens if she brings that crap into my home. I showed him even though I could hurt him, I would rather not. I could have left his shoulder dislocated."_

_"I am your best friend, I can see the change in you. Just try a little harder to show her."_

_"Alright Gerald. I will try. Just understand, when threatened like last night, there are consequences." _

_"I understand man. I understand."_

_(End Flashback)_

Phoebe nodded her head to Arnold as a sign that she understood. He smiled at her.

"Let's go converse with the ladies." Helga, said breaking the silence. Phoebe kissed her husband and walked off with Helga to the group of women sitting at one of the party's picnic tables. They sat and joined the conversations. Arnold and Gerald watched them as they left.

"I am guessing that comment was to make a point." Gerald said. He reached in a cooler and grabbed two beers. He opened both and handed one to Arnold.

"Just trying to get her to trust me." Arnold said. The two men clinked the necks of the bottles together and started drinking.

**Isabella &amp; Elise**

Izzy sat on the swings by herself. She wasn't sad or anything. Most of the kids at the party were the twin's age and would be in their class when school started. She decided to play the big sister role today and let the girls enjoy time with their friends. It didn't really bother her to be alone, today was their day.

"Can I swing with you?" A female voice came from beside her.

"Sure." Izzy said without turning her head. She figured it was another six or seven year old.

"I don't think I have ever seen you before. Are you new around here? The girl said to her. She started to swing, pumping lightly with her legs.

Izzy decided it would be rude not to look at the girls while she was talking. She turned to face her. "I have lived in the city for the past year, but just moved into my new house last week." She said. "I start school at P.S. 118 in the fall."

"What grade will you be in?" The girl asked.

The 5th grade. She said, shyly. This was a subject Izzy was shy about. He father's homeschooling caused Izzy to be skipped two grades. She would be starting the 5th grade in the fall. The average age for a 5th grader was ten years old. The teachers didn't think she would be challenged in the 3rd or the 4th.

"Me too. The girl said. She brightened at the fact that there was someone at the party that would be in her grade. "I see you're a small for a 10 year old too." She said. The girl was the same height and size as Izzy. She had jet black hair like Izzy's, though her skin tone was lighter.

"Actually, I am eight." I got skipped two grades. Izzy said, nervously. She looked the girl, hoping she would still accept her.

"Wow, you must be really smart." The girl said. "You are still a 5th grader, so that makes you ok in my book. The girl held out her hand. "By the way, my name is Elise Wellington-Lloyd."

"My name is Isabella Shortman, just call me Izzy."

"How do you know the twins?" Elise asked.

"My father grew up with Phoebe and Gerald. The twins are like my sisters. Izzy said with a proud smile on her face. She didn't have a large family, but she loved the one she had. "What about you?"

"My mom did too. She and Mrs. Johanssen keep in touch, and I guess it's been a while since they have seen each other." Elise said. "I don't know them that well. My mom said we should come to the party since, we are back in town."

"Did you know about the sleepover?" Izzy asked. She was happy to finally make a friend that was going to be in the same grade as her. She had made several friends in the past week, but they were still 3rd and 4th graders. Izzy hoped she would meet another 5th grader before school started. "I am sure my father wouldn't mind. There are already ten of us."

"You sure? I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience." Elise said.

"We have more than enough space. You see that man with the blonde hair." Izzy pointed to her father, who was still on the grill. "We can go ask him, after we get permission from your mom." Izzy was trying to contain her excitement.

"Sure let's go do that." Elise said. Both girls jumped off the swings and walked over to the table of women. They walked up to a tall raven haired woman who seem out of place around the women she was currently engaged with. "Mom" she said as they approached the woman, interrupting her.

"Elise." The woman said sternly. "What have I told you about interrupting me when I am talking?" She was about to start talking when the girl interrupted her again. Izzy couldn't help but feel like this was common occurrence between the two.

"I am sorry for the interruption, I just wanted permission to attend the sleepover the girls are having after the party. Elise sighed.

"Sure, Sure. The woman said, waving the girl off. She continued talking without even paying the girl a second glance. The other mothers at the table couldn't help but notice the exchange between the mother and child. It was awkward. The two girls walked off in the direction of Izzy's father.

**Helga &amp; Rhonda**

"Hey Princess Rhonda. Did you even hear what your daughter just asked you?" Helga said. After a life of neglect by her parents, she checked any and all parents treating their kids wrong. Some would say it's not her place. In Helga's eyes, if you can't be a loving, nurturing parent, don't have kids.

"She asked about a sleepover. Rhonda said dismissively. "I heard her."

"Then you might want the details, right?" Helga said. "Don't you want to know where your daughter will be spending the night?"

"Since its Phoebe and Gerald's kid's party, I would guess at their house." Rhonda said. She spoke like this whole process was a waste of her time.

"Actually Princess, the sleepover will be at Arnold's." Helga said. "If you had taken the time to notice someone other than yourself, you would have noticed that your daughter walked over here with his daughter." The other mothers at the tables were stifling laughs, it wasn't often that someone put Rhonda Lloyd in her place.

"Arnold who?" Rhonda asked. "Why would a man volunteer to take care of so many girls? Why would you allow your children to stay there?"

"Arnold Shortman genius. The man over there on the grill." Helga said. She didn't know why but she felt herself getting worked up. Helga took a deep breath to calm down. "He has a daughter, he has the space, and he is trying to give all the parents break tonight."

"I don't want my daughter staying in the horrible boarding house." Rhonda said. "She might come back with something."

"Actually Rhonda, Arnold spent the last year renovating it." Phoebe chimed in on the conversation. "It's practically a brand new." Phoebe wanted Izzy to meet Elise. Phoebe had met the girl a few times and she had a feeling that her and Izzy would hit it off. All she had to do know was get it pass the girl's mother. Something Rhonda was making rather difficult.

"And where does someone like Arnold Shortman get money to remodel a building?" Rhonda asked. She became self-conscious when it came to other people with money. She didn't like the idea other people being on her level.

Knowing how Rhonda felt about people with money, Phoebe decided to fill Rhonda in about Arnold. "Actually Rhonda, Arnold is worth more than you." She said to the woman. There were gasp from around the table. Everyone looked at Arnold, who was now talking to two little girls.

"I don't believe it." Rhonda said. He doesn't seem to act like he's rich.

"Because money is isn't everything to him." Helga said. "You could learn a thing or two from him. And just so you know I will be at the sleepover too."

Rhonda just stared at Arnold from a distance as he was talking to her daughter.

**Arnold, Izzy &amp; Elise**

"I am sorry you had to see that." Elise said. "My mom doesn't know when to stop talking about herself."

"That's ok. My father can be over-protective sometimes." Izzy said. "I love him, but everything doesn't have to be about me."

"That is how my nanny is." Elise said. "My mom is gone a lot. What about you, is your mom here today?"

Izzy stopped walking and started playing with her hands. "My mom died when I was a baby."

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to pry." Elise said. She put her arm around Izzy. The continued the walk over to Arnold. "I know it's not the same but I understand how you feel, my mother is never around. She is only here right now because school is about to start."

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better." Izzy said. "She gave the girl faint smile." It was nice to have someone to relate to. As they approached her father she straightened up. Arnold had a talent for seeing when something was wrong. The men around the grill were talking. Arnold was just listening. She and Elise walked up to him. "Dad?"

Arnold looked down at his daughter and to the girl beside her. Yes?

Izzy nudged Elise forward. H…Hi Mr. Shortman. I am Elise Wellington Lloyd. I was wondering if I could attend the sleepover tonight."

Arnold looked from Elise to his daughter, who was currently mouthing "please" repeatedly. Arnold scanned the park for the girl's mother. When he found her, she was looking dead at him. "Hold on one second Elise, I will be right back. Gerald watch the grill" Arnold started walking directly towards Rhonda.

Once Arnold's eyes met hers, she couldn't help but feel nervous. The last time they spoke, it made her something that she had never felt before, shame. She had spent the morning telling the school a story about Arnold that was supposed to be a secret. When Arnold confronted her, he told her and the entire school the real story. A tale more horrible than she could have imagined. When he finished she was literally brought to tears. They hadn't spoken since that day. He was eleven when that happened. Over twenty years had passed, and even now she still found it hard to be in in presence.

The table of women couldn't help but stare as they saw Rhonda confidence falter as Arnold came closer. She became flustered, where Arnold was calm, cool and collected. Phoebe as usual became nervous about the encounter. She thought back to how his story all those years ago affected the entire school. After that day, Arnold was never the same.

He stuck out his hand to the woman. "Hello Rhonda." She took his hand tentatively and shook it. "Young Elise just asked if she could join the sleepover the girls are holding at my house. I wanted to check with you and make sure it was alright?"

Y..Yes, it's ok. Rhonda said. No one else could make her that nervous. Something about Arnold still made her feel that shame she felt all those years ago. "Does she need to bring anything? She was trying to steady her voice. What really bothered her was that he was smiling at her.

P.J.s, a change of clothing, toothbrush, and a sleeping bag. Arnold said. "Most of the girls brought their stuff with them. For the others their parents will bring it buy later. Either way works fine for me. "

"I will have her nanny bring the stuff by here now." Rhonda said. She pulled out her cell phone and starting dialing a number.

"Wonderful, pick up will be tomorrow afternoon." Arnold said. He looked at Phoebe and winked. She winked back. Helga caught the action.

"What was that?" Helga asked.

"His way of saying trust me."

Arnold walked back over to Izzy and Elise. "I just wanted to check with your mom and tell her what you would need." Arnold said. "She said your nanny will bring it by before the party ends."

"Thank you Mr. Shortman" Elise said.

"Your welcome, sweetie." Arnold said before going back to his duties on the grill.

**Shortman Residence**

"Arnold should be up in a minute with the rest of the snacks." Helga said. She sat the three large bowls of popcorn in front of the eleven girls in the room. After the party ended and everything cleaned up, the parents all brought their daughters to Arnold's house. Helga and Elise decided to ride with Arnold and Izzy. The sleepover was being held in the suite across from Arnold's office. Helga would be sleeping in Susie's suite for the night. The floor of the suite was littered with sleeping bags, backpacks and movie cases. Arnold brought the 65 inch TV from the living room, so that the girls could watch movies in style.

Helga looked around the room at the group of girls, she thought about her days as a young girl going to sleepovers. She thought about how she used to be just like the girls talking and laughing in front of her. She looked at each girl carefully, distinguishing the characteristics each child shared with their parents. "Everyone's got kids." She thought to herself. Helga had never really thought about having kids. After her upbringing, having kids was never a top priority. She had been in several relationships both long and short term. She had flings, she even got engaged once. In the end being a woman that traveled constantly made relationships difficult. She couldn't lie though, something about that little girl made her want a kid.

"Can you help me?" Arnold's voice brought Helga out of her thoughts. He had a large tray with several snacks and drinks on it. Helga helped him bring the last of the snacks into the room. After setting up the snack table, the two adults left the room. "If you guys need anything we will be across the hall." Arnold said as he closed the door.

"You mean in your office? Thought you didn't let people in there." Helga said.

"Who told you that?" Arnold said as he punched in a code on the keypad. He opened the door, letting Helga walk in first. At the rear of the room sat a large oak desk in front of a massive bay window. Just like rest of the house the furniture was black and most of the surfaces were glass.

"Your daughter?" Helga said, she sat on one of the two black couches.

"This is my sanctuary. It's just like my workshop. There are things in here I would prefer her not see." He walked over to a globe and lifted its top revealing a bar. Arnold grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, then sat down on the couch across from Helga. "Like this." He sat the two glasses down and poured them both a glass of whiskey. He grabbed one of the glasses, and took a sip.

"She saw you drink beer at the party." Helga said. She grabbed the other glass and took a sip. She had tasted whiskey before, but this stuff was strong. "What is this?"

"Silver Select." Arnold said to Helga while trying not to laugh. "It's 100 proof." Arnold took another sip.

"Wow." Helga said looking that the liquid in the glass. "Where do you get it?"

"I got a guy." Arnold said.

"I heard you say that a few times at the housewarming party. Which by the way, looked like a catered event. How did you do all of that in under 24 hours?" Helga asked, taking a small sip of the whiskey.

"I know people." Arnold said shrugging his shoulders.

"Do you have to be so mysterious?" There was a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Can't you give a straight answer to a question?"

Noticing her tone change, Arnold took the last sip of his whiskey, then poured himself another glass. "Alright." He said. "I will answer five questions for you. Understand, if it's something that I cannot answer, it still counts." He continued sipping his drink, while letting her think.

"Seriously." Helga asked him. Arnold nodded. Helga took a moment to think about what she wanted to ask him. "How did you and Izzy's mom meet?" She had a feeling this was a question he wouldn't answer.

"We met the first time I went to San Lorenzo. My parent's saved her village years back. We had a lot in common when it came to our personal lives. She was an orphan also." Arnold said while swirling the whiskey around in the glass. "That's one."

"Where you two married or in a relationship?" She asked.

Arnold laughed at her question. "No. We were best friends. We never got a chance to explore that option before she died."

"So…"

"I will never call my daughter and accident. She is the result of a wonderful night shared between two people that really cared about each other." He took another sip. "That's two."

"Why don't you have any pictures of her as an infant? I saw the photo albums at Phoebe's place. Izzy looked like she could be one or two in those pictures." She said. Helga was enjoying this.

"One year two months to be exact. I usually would go to San Lorenzo when I took leave." Arnold said. He was staring out the window at the night sky as he spoke. "After that night, I planned on getting out of the military. It took me longer than I expected to get back. And once I got back, I had a daughter. And so you don't waste a question, she is mine. That's three."

"Why is Phoebe so worried about your temper?" Helga asked.

"Can't answer that one. That's four Arnold said. He held up four fingers for emphasis.

"Dammit." Helga said. There were a thousand things she wanted to ask him. She decided to go for broke on her last question. "Can I see your workshop?" She would have asked to see his room, but she knew he would say no to that.

"Sure you want that to be your final question?" He asked her with an eyebrow raised. "I will give you an opportunity to change your question before I answer." Arnold looked at his glass in deep contemplation about what he should do.

"You can just say no. You don't have to make me wait in anticipation." Helga said, with a hint of attitude in her voice.

Arnold took the rest of the whiskey in one shot. He sat his glass on that table between them. "Come on." He got up and walked over to the door.

"Really!" Helga said, a look of surprise on her face. She really expected him to say no. She drank the rest of her whiskey, then followed Arnold. They walked down to the basement.

Arnold pressed his code into the keypad and opened the door. The lights automatically turned on. He looked at Helga. "Go ahead." Helga walked in, amazed at what she saw.

"Who are you?" She said walking around the room without touching anything. She knew people that had gun, but Arnold had an arsenal. "You show up after 18 years, you have a daughter, you are capable of kicking ass, and you look like you are prepared for World War 3. I mean seriously Arnold, why do you have all this." She said. "Not to mention, we have 11 young girls up stairs. What if they get in here?"

"I am the only person that can enter that room. Only three people know what's in there. There is no ammunition in this house. And it's a collection." Arnold said. "You asked, I showed." They left the workshop and went back to Arnold's office. Helga thought back to what Phoebe said earlier today. _"I am not afraid of the man he is, I am terrified of the man that he can become." _

After another round of whiskey they checked on the girls. They were currently in the middle of another movie. Both adults said goodnight to the girls, then Arnold escorted Helga to her suite. "I'll be right back he said to her. He walked across the hallway to his room. He typed in his code and walked inside. Helga tried to see inside but his room was pitch black. When Arnold returned he tossed Helga a shirt and some sweats. "Towels are in the closet in the bathroom. Have a good night." He said. There was a small smile on his face. "Helga?" He said.

"Thank for the assistance tonight." He said to her. Arnold turned and walk into his room.

"Your welcome, Football head." She whispered back.

**Helga, Izzy, &amp; Elise**

The sound of a door opening and closing woke Helga up. Whenever she slept in a new place, she tended to sleep light. She looked at her watch. It was 3 in the morning. She got out of the bed and walked over to the door. She pressed her ear up against to try and hear what was going on. Once the footsteps faded, she stayed for a moment longer. She was about to lay back down when she heard another door open. She put her ear back up to the door.

"Come on Elise." A slightly accented voice said.

"Where are we going?" A nervous Elise said.

"Up to the roof. I want to show you something." Izzy said.

Helga heard the girl's steps going up the attic stairs. She decided that she would follow the girls and see what was going on. She waited a few minutes after she heard the door to Izzy's room close. She carefully open the door and proceeded up the attic stairs. She carefully opened the door to Izzy's room then scanned the room. It was empty, but the skylight was open. She walked up to the ladder and climbed. Upon reaching the top, she peeked over the edge. The two girls were sitting on the outdoor swing that was on the roof.

Helga climbed through the skylight, then approached the girls. "Izzy. Elise. What are you two doing up here?"

Both girls placed a finger up to their lips, wordlessly telling Helga that she needed to be quiet. Izzy then pointed to something behind her. Helga turned around to see Arnold standing on the roof facing the full moon.

"Arnold. What are you…" Izzy grabbed the woman arm.

"Be quiet Ms. Helga." Izzy said. "Come sit down and I will explain everything. Izzy guided her to the swing. "My dad sleepwalks." She said to Helga once she was sitting down.

"Isn't it a little dangerous for him to be on a roof if he is sleepwalking?" Helga said.

"He has been doing it for the last six months, and nothing bad has happened." Izzy said.

"She said it only happens during the full moon." Elise joined the conversation.

"So what you just stand there and watch him. Are you even sure he's asleep?" Helga asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, I pinched him a few times. He didn't react." She said. "I think he is talking to my mom."

Helga didn't know how to reply to the girls words. "What makes you think that?" Helga liked the girl, but this was too weird even for her.

"Walk up to him. He is talking to someone. He told me he and my mom would always talk under the light of the full moon." Izzy looked up to Helga. "I brought Elise because she didn't believe me."

Helga got up off the swing and walked over to Arnold. He was wearing a pair of grey pajama bottoms with a black tank top. She couldn't help but notice his body, the man was in great shape. She walked in a circle around him, he had three tattoos. He had a dagger with a dragon wrapped around it on his right bicep. He had a cobra tattoo that wrapped around his left bicep. The tattoo on his back surprised her the most. From what she tell he had an angel wing on one side and a demonic wing on the other. It looked like it covered his entire back. She walked back around to his front. He had healed scars all over him, and two wounds that looked like they could be gunshot wounds. "What the hell happened to you?" She thought to herself. She look up to his face. His lips were moving. They would momentarily stop and his face would make and expression, like he was thinking of what to say next. "Maybe he is talking to someone? Helga said to herself. She walked back over to the girls and sat down with them.

"How long does he stay like this?" Elise asked after an hour had passed.

"Generally about two hours. You two don't have to stay. I like to stay up here the entire time. Makes me feel good." Izzy said with a smile on her face. Helga and Elise got up and walked over to the skylight. Helga allowed Elise to climb down first, then she started to the same. Helga stopped and looked at the girl.

"You sure you're going to be ok? Helga asked.

"Yes Ms. Helga. I got my mom and dad with me." The girl turned back to her father, a giant smile on her face.

Once Helga made it back to her room. She plopped down on the bed and sighed. "Helga, what have you gotten yourself into?"

**Ladies and Gentlemen, that was chapter three. I know things are going kinda slow, but trust me when I say chapter four will kick things up. Arnold's secret will be revealed. Read and Review. **


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Hey Arnold.**

**Chapter 4-The Truth of Arnold**

**Shortman Residence**

Knock! Knock! Knock! "Ms. Helga, it's time for breakfast!" Izzy spoke through the door.

"Hold on a second!" Helga yelled. She rolled over on the bed and looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was 10:30 am. She groaned, then got out of the bed. Helga wasn't a morning person. She walked over to the door and opened it. Izzy was standing at the door with a sad look on her face.. "Sorry for yelling sweetie. I'll be down in a minute."

"Ok Ms. Helga." Izzy said. She turned and started walking down the hall towards the kitchen.

"Izzy. Hold on a second. I want to ask you something." Helga said. The girl turned walked towards Helga. "It's about last night. Does your father know that he sleepwalks?" She asked.

"I don't know." Izzy said. "I just know nothing bothers him for a few days after it. It has been my secret until last night."

"Well if it's a secret for you, it's a secret for me. Helga said. "I am going to get cleaned up. I will be down in a few minutes."

"Ok, Ms. Helga." Izzy said. The young girl walked off.

"What is with these two and secrets?" Helga thought to herself. She walked into the bathroom, grabbed a towel and started the shower. After last night she figured a hot shower would do her some good. She got in the shower thinking about everything that she seen the night before, and also everything that had happened over the past few weeks. Even with the odd things she had seen, she still found her attraction for Arnold growing. Her feelings for Izzy were just as strong. Her only issue was that their life was shrouded with secrets.

Helga finished her shower, got dressed and walked down to the kitchen. She really needed some coffee. She hadn't slept as good as she thought she would. She thought about Arnold's body. Though it was in excellent shape, it had been put through the gauntlet. The gunshot wounds on his arm and shoulder were proof of that. Helga couldn't explain the other scars that she saw. There were a mixture of small and large cuts. How he could have got them was a mystery to her.

Helga walked into the kitchen. There were two people in the kitchen cooking for all the girls. A male and a female.

"Who are you?" Helga asked.

"I am Xavier and this is my assistant Chelsea." The man said. "Mr. Shortman hired us to cook brunch for the girls this morning. Can we get you anything?"

"Coffee, black" Helga said. Once she received her coffee, she walked around the kitchen and the dining room. The girls were eating in various places. The whole bottom floor of the house smelled of breakfast foods. She found Izzy and Elise sitting in the living room eating on the floor. She walked over and sat on the couch. "Where is your father?" Her question was directed to Izzy.

"He is downstairs in his workshop." Izzy said after swallowing a fork full of pancakes covered in blueberry syrup. "He said he had something to take care of."

"I bet." Helga said. "Does he spend a lot of time down there?" Helga couldn't get answers out of Arnold but she had a feeling she could get some from Izzy. Both Izzy and Arnold had opened up to her, but she wanted to know more.

"No, he does most of his work in his office." She said, taking another bite of pancakes. "If he is in the basement, he is usually working out. If his is in the workshop..."

"He is fixing something." Arnold said interrupting their conversation. All three women were startled by his sudden appearance. He couldn't help that he moved around silently, it was a habit. "Did you need something Helga?"

"No. I saw two strangers in the kitchen. Just trying to be a good chaperon." She said. Helga looked at his clothing. Arnold was wearing a black polo shirt and a pair of jeans. His shirts thoroughly covered his biceps, that's why she hadn't seen his tattoos until last night. His multiple scars could only be seen if you were close to him. Helga couldn't explain why, but Arnold seemed to be in a good mood.

"You didn't want anything to eat." Arnold said. "Xavier and Chelsea are the best chefs I know."

"You got professional chefs to cook for the twin's slumber party." Helga said taking a sip of her coffee. She had to admit, it was delicious. "Doesn't that seem like too much?"

"This was my birthday present to the twins. My house for the slumber party and brunch in the morning." Arnold said. "Plus, we have eleven girls here. Did you want to cook breakfast for all of them?"

Helga wasn't a horrible cook, but cooking for eleven girls would have been a challenge. Helga had to admit that Arnold had a point. "You have a point." She said.

"Their parents should start showing up shortly." Arnold said. "I will be in my office if you need me." Arnold walked upstairs.

Helga pulled out her cell phone and sent a text to Phoebe. "We need to talk."

In less than a minute she got a reply. "Is everything ok? Did something happen last night?"

"Nothing is wrong. Yes. I will tell you about it when we bring the twins home." Helga texted back. She put up her phone, then walked towards the kitchen to get something to eat.

**Johanssen Residence**

Arnold pulled up to Gerald and Phoebe's apartment. "Do you girls have all of your stuff?" He asked the twins. They were sitting in back of the truck with Izzy. After taking care of eleven girls, Phoebe and Gerald thought it would be nice if Arnold had some time to himself.

"Yes Uncle Arnold." The twins said in unison. "Thank you for letting us have the slumber party."

"Anytime girls." He said to the twins. Arnold turned to Helga. "What about you young lady? Do you have all of your things?

"Yes Uncle Arnold." She said sarcastically. Arnold smiled at her. Helga had to admit, she liked the side of Arnold that she met today. Once the girls finished eating breakfast, Arnold came downstairs and they ate breakfast together. Their conversations were focused on her life rather than his. Arnold did give her the chance to ask five more questions. Because of his chipper attitude, Helga took advantage of the offer by asking to see his room. Ten minutes later, she was standing in Arnold's room. There was a noticeable difference in Arnold today. He was happy. Helga enjoyed how open he was.

"Ok then. I will see you all later. Arnold spoke to the group. He turned to his daughter. Do you have everything?

"Yes. See you tomorrow daddy." Izzy said. She kissed her father on the cheek.

The group got out of the truck and headed into the building. "Helga." Arnold called out to her before she walked in the in. She walked back over to the lowered passenger window. "Listen, maybe we would do this again, without kids."

Helga was shocked at his request. "S…Sure Arnold." She said. "Give me your phone." Arnold handed her his phone. She typed in her number and handed it back to him. "Call me sometime." Helga turned and walked towards the building, slightly swaying her hips. She knew he was watching her as she walked. Arnold may be a badass, but he is still a man." She thought to herself. Helga turned and waved to him before she walked into the building. Arnold waved back then pulled off. Helga walked into the building, blushing. She couldn't believe that Arnold just asked her out. Helga walked in the door to see Phoebe and Gerald sitting at their dining room table having coffee. The blush on her face was noticeable.

"You're in a good mood." Gerald said. "What took you so long? Did he kiss you goodbye?

"Gerald!" Phoebe said hitting her husband in the shoulder.

"Shut up tall hair boy." Helga said. "Nothing happened, but he did ask me out."

The married couple then looked at each other. "What did you say?" Phoebe said.

"I told him to call me." Helga said sitting down at the table. "The night itself on the other hand was both good and weird.

"What happened?" Gerald said.

"He opened up to me, a little." Helga said. "He gave me the chance to ask him a few questions. He didn't answer all of them, but he told me a little bit. He showed me his office, workshop, and this morning we had breakfast together. He even showed me his bedroom. Then there was the early hours of the morning. Did either of you know that Arnold sleepwalks?"

Gerald and Phoebe conveniently decided to take sips of their coffee at that moment. Neither replied to Helga inquiry.

Helga thought back to her what else she saw on the roof. "Did you know about the gunshot wounds and all the scars? Irritation could be heard in her voice. The tension in the room was growing.

Gerald spoke. "Helga, listen…"

Helga knew what he was about to say. "NO!" She said, slamming her hands on the table. "I love you guys, but I am tired of being told that you can't say. All this secrecy is driving me nuts. I volunteered for the slumber party to try to get close to him. He showed me that he has some trust in me, why can't you?"

"What are you saying Helga?" Gerald asked.

"Isn't it obvious, after all these years, I have strong feelings for him. She said. "And now there is Izzy. She is just as adorable as he is." Helga placed her face in her hands. "From what I saw, his body looked like it had been torn apart. I just want to know what happened to him."

Gerald and Phoebe looked at each other. Gerald nodded his head at his wife then got up from the table. He kissed his wife on the forehead then walked into his office and closed the door.

"What the hell was that?" Helga said.

"Gerald's form of plausible deniability." Phoebe said. "He doesn't want to hear anything I am about to tell you."

"Ok?" Helga said. What are you about to tell me?

Phoebe sighed. "The truth about Arnold."

You know the story about Arnold's parents. What you don't know is that the man that killed them is named Eduardo Alvarez. Considered to be their best friend, until the contract was placed on their heads.

_The contract was set up by a man named Rodrigo Sombra, a notorious drug lord and arms dealer in San Lorenzo, a country in South America. He had a grudge against Arnold's parents. They stole an artifact from him, an artifact the he himself had stolen from a tribe in San Lorenzo. The artifact originally belonged to a people known as the Green Eyes. A people that his parents helped on several occasions in the past. After the contract was completed Eduardo started working or Rodrigo._

_Rodrigo Sombra had a son named Enrico, who was just as ruthless than his father. Enrico staged a coup de tat on his father's organization, killing his father in the process. While going through his father's things he found information about the hidden villages of the Green Eyes. He set out to find these villages, hoping to use them for storing drugs, weapons, and the people that he trafficked. The best place to hide something is where no one can find it._

_The Green Eyes had several villages in the remote parts of the jungle and Enrico had taken over two within a two years. He killed everyone in the villages that he found. Even if word got out to the other tribes that their villages were being slaughtered, the green eyes didn't have the means to stand up against men with automatic weapons and artillery. The first two villages had been taken over in a matter of hours. The set-up and storage of the "materials" only took a few weeks. In that time Enrico had found his next target. Maria's village._

_Arnold decided to stay in San Lorenzo when he learned about Izzy. He enjoyed the simplicity of life in the jungle. He would go to the nearest city to check on Susie and send pictures of Izzy to us. He didn't do it that often. It took eight days to travel to the city and back. Seeing as he missed a year of her life, Arnold didn't like to leave his daughter too often. He was a few hours away from the village when Enrico attacked._

_Seeing the smoke and fire from a distance Arnold approached the village slowly. He saw bodies all around the village and there were men in black with guns walking around. After doing a full sweep of the village, he assessed that there were only ten armed men. There were piles of bodies around the village. The intruders had started burning the bodies of the villagers as a method of disposal. He killed the men one by one. Afterwards he searched the village for Maria and Izzy. _

_When he found Maria, he could tell that she put had put up a fight. She had been beaten badly and shot execution style. Arnold continued to search through the bodies looking for Izzy. He searched the entire village, but found nothing. It wasn't until he went their hut that he heard a muffled cry. Izzy had been placed in a trunk and covered with blankets. After finding Izzy, Arnold buried Maria. Arnold took all the bodies of the villagers and laid them side by side in the middle of the village. He burned down the entire village, not as an insult, but to cremate the bodies. He said that 60 plus villagers had been killed. He left San Lorenzo then came here. He gave Izzy to Gerald and I then left. We didn't see him for five months._

"Wait…wait…wait!" Helga interrupted the story. "You're telling me that you had Arnold's daughter for five months and I never noticed."

"Whenever you would come over, Gerald would either take her out or we would take her to Susie." Phoebe said. "Arnold said it was for her safety."

"What about the times that I was here with both of you?" Helga said.

"I was pregnant at the time. I had to pee a lot. That was also when I would check on Izzy." Phoebe said. "She didn't cry a lot for a two year old. Can I continue?

"Sure" Helga said. She wondering how her friend could have hidden something so important from her.

_Arnold went back to San Lorenzo and started to gather Intel on Enrico Sombra. He wouldn't tell us his methods, but I can assume that they weren't the most pleasant. Gerald started keeping tabs on news feeds from San Lorenzo. Arnold brought Izzy to us in December. Nothing came in for the first three months. Then in the middle of March a big story broke in San Lorenzo about a drug deal._

_Apparently a deal between two drug dealers went horribly wrong. Many men had been killed, no survivors had yet to be found. A private dock owned by Enrico Sombra had been destroyed, along with an 180 foot demilitarized navy gun boat. Thermite charges and explosives were used to sink the vessel. It turns out that the vessel was used to smuggle guns and drugs in and out of San Lorenzo. A diving team found several crates of drugs and weapons in the cargo hold. Enrico Sombra could not be found. _Phoebe paused.

"Are you telling me Arnold did all of that?" Helga asked, chuckling. "I know he's tough, but come on Pheebs." She didn't notice the look of terror on her best friends face.

"That's exactly what she's telling you." Arnold said, causing Helga to jump out of her seat. His face was expressionless as he walked towards the two women. "Izzy forgot her toiletry bag." He held up the bag for the women to see. He walked up to Phoebe and smiled. His smile bothered her, it was something that she hardly saw, but it usually came with consequences. He put his hand on her shoulder. "You can finish telling her, I'm not mad." He walked towards the back of the apartment, gave Izzy her bag, spoke to Gerald, then left. Neither woman spoke the entire time.

Gerald walked out of his office to get something to drink and saw the two women at the table. He clapped his hand together loudly to knock them out of their trance.

"Was he mad, Gerald?" Phoebe asked her husband nervously. She felt guilty for going against Arnold, but Helga was her best friend.

Gerald grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, opened it and took a long drink. "Nope". Gerald walked back into his office and closed the door. Letting the women continue their conversation.

"Izzy said that nothing bothers him after a full moon." Helga said.

"I guess I never noticed." Phoebe said. She resumed the story.

**Shortman Residence**

Arnold drove back to his house in silence letting the jazz play while he drove. He wasn't mad at Phoebe for telling his story. He knew that Helga was on the roof last night with Izzy and Elise. Unlike the other girls, Helga and Elise kept their eyes on him every time they saw him. Other than a "Good Morning Mr. Shortman", the other girls paid him no attention. Helga and Elise were looking at him like they were trying to figure something out. While they were eating breakfast, he noticed Helga staring at his right shoulder and right arm. Two of the three places he had been shot that night.

Arnold knew that he sleepwalked. He had been doing it for the past six years. He was told by Izzy's live–in nanny Alice. She told him that one night she heard footstep around three in the morning. She got up to check on the Izzy and she saw him walking towards the balcony of their apartment, which was facing the full moon. She didn't figure out the connection until one night the full moon was on the other side of the building and he walked up to the roof to face the moon.

Alice was worried the first few times, thinking that he might hurt himself. When she realized that he just stood there and talked, she would check on him once or twice then go back to bed. The direction would change but the time remains the same, 3 a.m. like clockwork every full moon. He knew the reason why, and it was one of his closest guarded secrets. It was one that only he knew. It was the reason Phoebe was telling the PG version of what really happened in San Lorenzo. The truth was worse, a lot worse. Arnold hated lying to his two closest friends, but it had to be done.

**Johanssen Residence**

"So what happened next?" Helga asked.

"A month and a half later, Arnold showed up at our front door." Phoebe said. "I don't usually curse but he looked like shit. His arm was in a sling, his face had several tiny scars on it. By the way he was walking, you could tell that his torso was wrapped up. He wanted to take Izzy but Gerald, Susie and I wouldn't let him take her."

"Why not? He had the right to see his daughter after all that time." Helga said. "You do realized he could have probably still hurt you, Susie and Gerald in that condition, right?"

"Arnold would never hurt us. I know this for a fact." Phoebe said. "But if he thought he could disappear for five months, then come back and not answer any questions, he was wrong. At that point we were still assuming that Arnold had something to do with the dock incident."

"So how did you get him to talk?" Helga said. To Helga, Arnold's story sounded like something for and action movie. She couldn't help but wonder how much Arnold didn't tell them.

"I threatened to call the police and child protective services." Phoebe said. "It was a bluff, but it worked. He was in too much pain to fight. He agreed to tell us what happened after he had seen his daughter. We brought Izzy to him and let him hold her. Gerald stood by the door in case he tried to run. Arnold hugged her and sat down on the couch. We sat down with him and he started to tell us what happened."

"So what happened to Enrico?" Helga said.

"He said that it was better if we didn't know." Phoebe said. "It was obvious that he killed him. After that he took Izzy and left. Arnold was gone for five years. He would write short letters send us pictures of Izzy, but it wasn't until last year that we physically saw them. Now do you understand why I worry about his temper?

_"I am not afraid of the man he is, I am terrified of the man he can become."_

"I get it." Helga said. Those words made a lot of sense to Helga now.

**Shortman Residence**

Arnold was laying in his bed thinking about the story that Helga had been told that afternoon. No one but him knew the real version. It wasn't much of a burden on him anymore. He knew what he had done and he was a peace with it.

Helga played a part in his thoughts too. He had and attraction toward her. He considered that a good and a bad thing. Arnold made it a point to be single. Advances from women happened all the time. Most thought that he didn't want Izzy to get attached. The real reason was that he was cursed. Death followed Arnold like a shadow. Everyone that he ever cared about, he ended up losing. That is the reason he is so overprotective of Izzy. He would do everything in his power not to lose her.

It sucked that he couldn't give his friends the whole truth, but things had to be that way. The story he told to Phoebe and Gerald was horrific enough. There was no need to give them the whole story. As much as he tried to protect his daughter, he also wanted to protect his friends.

**Ladies and Gentlemen that is the fourth chapter. I hope you liked it. The true story of Arnold's revenge will be explained in the next chapter. Trust me when I say...it's going to blow your socks off. Please read and review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Hey Arnold**

**Chapter 5-Am I a Psycho?**

**(Flashback/Dream 6 years ago)**

_Arnold awoke in a place he hadn't visited since he was eighteen years old. The white room. He was lying on a sectional couch. The white room looked like more of a lounge, where in the past there was just a cell. A twin version of himself sat across from him on another sectional couch, sipping something from a glass. Arnold cried in pain as he tried to sit up. The twin watched Arnold struggle. Once Arnold was in a position that didn't hurt as much, the twin spoke._

**Would you like a glass of whiskey?**

How do you have alcohol in here? Why am I in so much pain? What happened to this place?

**It's called using our imagination genius. The answers are coming. First, have a drink, it will help.**

_The twin poured Arnold a glass of whiskey. It hurt to reach for it, but the liquid did ease the pain going through his body._

**Feel better?**

A little. Now can you please explain what is going on?

**For starters, you are currently unconscious. You have been that way for about two weeks. The pain you are feeling is from three gunshot wounds and shrapnel.**

Gunshots? Shrapnel? Why aren't you in pain too? We are the same person.

**Transference my friend. Once I woke you up, all the pain became yours. You are lucky though, you didn't have to endure the gunshots, or the blast. You also didn't have to deal with their removal with no anesthetic. So quit whining.**

Where is my daughter?

**You mean "our" daughter. Like you just said "We are the same person." Don't worry, she is with Phoebe, Gerald and Susie. Her safety came first. I couldn't accomplish my mission with her around.**

What mission?

**Sit back and relax my friend. I've got a story to tell. I have to give you the back story first. Trust me when I say you will be horrified, but in the end of it you will have a sense of peace.**

If you say so.

**Alright then. When we learned about the death of our parents, my cell cracked. This was because that "stay positive" attitude of yours. That vision I gave you showed me that I had the ability to influence you. Every time you let the cell crack or let me out I became stronger. With continuous practice, I gained the ability to control our body. **

What do you mean control?

**I could move around when you released control, and example being when you slept. Trust me, it wasn't easy. It took me six months to move a finger. I also learned how to manipulate your consciousness, meaning I could literally shut you off. Which is exactly what I have done for the past four months.**

Four Months! Are you fucking kidding me? What have you been doing for four months?

**Other than getting shot, I have been having the best time of my life.**

This isn't a joke. I have been away from my daughter for months while you have been what exactly?

**Calm down. It's not a joke, but I like messing with you. After the slaughter of the village and burying Maria, you gave me the chance to do something I have wanted to do for years.**

And that is?

**Get revenge on the people that have hurt us, and hurt the ones I love. I started devising this plan years ago.**

Seriously, a revenge plot? Aren't we better than that?

**You really don't get do you? Most of the choices you've made in our life were because of this plot. Learning martial arts, the survival courses, the military, becoming a ranger and a sniper. I planted the seeds. You made them blossom. I was so happy when you started to excel at those activities. Since you started enjoyed everything, my influence wasn't needed as much. I started find other ways to mold you into what I wanted.**

What other ways?

**I learned how to manipulate your memories. There are a lot of things you don't know about yourself. There are experiences that you had that you don't know about. There are a lot of people that you don't know we've met. Hell, we even have money that you don't know about. I have been a busy guy the past twenty years.**

Ok! I get it. You used me like a puppet. Why?

**Initially, I was planning on killing Rodrigo Sombra, but since his son killed him, I let it go. Then his son comes along and murders my Maria and slaughters our village. My crosshairs were now placed on his head. If my actions over the past months were artwork, they would be my Mona Lisa?**

What did you do?

**Well, after I took full control, I took Isabella to the Susie, Phoebe and Gerald. I requested that no one see Izzy or know who she is. It was for her safety. Once she was safe, I started looking for the first man I ever wanted to kill. Eduardo Alvarez. I figured he could also give me information about Enrico Sombra. **

How did you find Eduardo? I thought he was under the FBI protection?

**I paid someone to find him for me. Using my control of our body, I have made a lot of "friends" in high and low places. We have a contact for almost everything. Either way, Eduardo lived in Las Vegas. So I took a trip and decided to have a friendly chat with him. And by chat, I mean I tortured him within an inch of his life. After he gave me all the information he had on Enrico, I thought about letting him live. Then he did something very stupid.**

What did he do?

**That bastard had the audacity to apologize for what he did to our parents! I kinda lost it after that.**

What do you mean?

**I took him out to the middle of the desert. I attached a small explosive to the back of his knees, his elbows, and one at the base of his neck. I shot him up with adrenaline so that he wouldn't pass out from shock. Then I detonated each explosive one by one. Oddly enough, he survived having all of his limbs blown off at the joint. I thought of leaving him that way. Then I said to myself…"What the hell?" I blew the explosive at the base of his neck. His head turned into dust. He deserved it.**

Oh my god! Are you serious? What is wrong with you?

**Oh man. That is just the beginning. Eduardo, Satan torture his soul, gave me some vital information about Enrico's organization. He gave me the names of Enrico's three generals. My next destination was San Lorenzo. I used our training and**** shadowed each man****. My goal was to find out which man had the strongest vice. Then exploit it. **

So which one was the weakest? And what did you do to him?

**You wanna know something funny. It was Enrico's right hand man Rubio Morena. The other two guys just drank and whored around. This guy, I wanted to kill for the hell of it. **

Why?

**Let's just say, he enjoyed the younger things in life. I am a father. If you think I am not going let a man like that run free or even stay alive. Hell no! I got creative with his torture.**

You can think of torture methods worse than what you did to Eduardo.

**After I water boarded, electrocuted, and stuck bamboo shards under his fingernails. I individually dipped his fingers into liquid nitrogen. Then I broke them like glass. I was surprised at how much torture he could take. It took a few hours but he finally broke. Gave me everything I wanted to know. **

What did he tell you?

**He told me about a big deal Enrico was making in a few weeks. After that, I started tracking Enrico. I also tortured and murdered a bunch of his low level men to get specifics. Once I had everything I needed, I began setting things up. Since the deal was going down at Enrico's personal dock, I decided the best way to do things would be to make it look like a drug deal gone wrong. I placed explosives around the entire dock. When the boat came in, I placed thermite charges on the hull of the boat to sink it. **

How did you get all the equipment?

**I know a guy. Plus, I also have several caches of weapons and explosives. **

Alright. You're Rambo. What happened next?

**After the dock and the ship were taken care of I found a spot to take my shot. Then waited for the meeting to begin. I decided to keep the shot simple, I was on a roof half mile away. **

What kind of rifle did you use?

**Cheytac .408 cal.**

Wow. Good choice. You know you could have taken the shot from further away right?

**True, but because the range of the detonator. I had to be closer. **

Good point. So then what happened?

**The deal was going down at night. Once both men arrived at the docks. I waited to for the best opportunity to take my shot. The hard part was deciding which guy I was going to shoot first. I decided on Enrico. After Enrico's head grew a new hole in it, pandemonium erupted. Enrico's men started shooting the other dealer's men and vice versa.**** Before the other dealer could reach his car and escape, I blew up the dock and the thermite charges on the ship. It was a beautiful site.**

What did you do next?

**I hid my rifle and headed towards the dock to clean up. That was how you caught two bullets, the one in your shoulder and the one in your arm. The men that were still alive were firing wildly. I took care of most of the men on the dock, I didn't see the one on the deck of the sinking boat. That is how you got shot in the stomach. He was firing a fully automatic from the deck as the boat sank. I put one between his eyes, and he started firing, hitting an oil drum that didn't go off. I wasn't close enough to feel the full blast, but I did get peppered fairly well by shrapnel. I didn't know what happened to Enrico's body, but I knew he was dead. I left the scene, and came here to get fixed up.**

Where exactly are we?

**We are at a convent on the outskirts of San Lorenzo. **

You mean "nuns and priest" convent.

**Yes. I told you we have friends everywhere. **

How did you make these friends?

**I rebuilt their church. They are self-sustained group. Mother superior used to be a nurse. She also helps the Green eyes when they need it. I got the Green eyes to trust the people here.**

And she didn't ask what happened to you?

**We have a rule. Ask me no questions, I tell you no lies. **

So there anymore to this exciting tale of death and destruction?

**Actually yes. I convinced a few of the Green eyed chiefs to come together and take back the two villages that they lost. They succeed with minimal casualties. They released the girls that were going to be sold as sex slaves. They are all here also. Most are going to stay. Some are trying to get home. They don't know who saved them, but they are grateful. So are the Green eyes.**

How many people did you kill that day?

**Before I answer that, you need to know something. Sombra took out three Green eyed villages including Maria's. That was close to 200 innocent people. There were forty girls rescued from that camp. They took Maria from me, Rodrigo took your parents. They all deserved a lot worse. **

How many?

**Honestly, I think between 40 and 60? **

Ok.

**Just ok?**

What's done is done. Yes, some of your methods may have been horrible. In some cases out right cruel, but I don't feel bad about any of it. How long until I can see my daughter?

**Once Mother Superior gives you the green light which might be another month or so. That bullet to the stomach may have gone through, but it did some damaged. She had to call in the doc. **

The doc. Let me guess another friend.

**Exactly. Like I said, we have a guy for everything. **

So what happens now?

**Well my friend, this is it for me. After today I am gone. I will give you access to all the memories you don't know about, the contacts, the weapons caches, and all money the money we really have. I have already set up your travel back to the states. But for right now, all you need to do is relax. **

If you have been using me as a puppet all these years, why are you leaving now?

**I am at peace. Don't worry, I am still here, we are just one entity now. No more puppetry. I completed my purpose. I want you to do me favor though.**

What is that?

**You are set up for life. So take the next few years, and just be a father to Isabella.**

I will, I promise.

** Oh yeah, you are going to probably pass out from the amount of information you are about to receive. Enjoy my years of hard work. **

**(End Sequence)**

Arnold opened his eyes. He looked over to his bay window, it was still dark outside. He looked at his watch. It was five in the morning. "Like clockwork." He thought to himself. On normal nights, Arnold would wake at five to go running. He didn't even set an alarm anymore. He got up and changed into a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt. He put on a pair of running shoes and walked out the front door. He stretched his body, then started off on a slow jog.

After he awoke in the convent, he instantly passed out again. He had all these new memories rushing into his head. He saw himself in different locations, with different people, doing everything from having a drinks to dancing in a club. He saw himself holding Isabella, feeding her, and playing with her. He saw himself with Maria sitting under the full moon. Arnold loved Maria, his alternate side was in love with her. They should have a made a move when he got out of the military, it was the one thing he would always regret.

Once his mind processed all the new information given to him by his alternate self, he actually felt like a new man. He was seeing the world through new eyes. He asked one of the nuns if they could get him a few newspapers when they went into the city. He wanted to know how much damaged he really caused. The San Lorenzo authorities were considering the whole debacle a drug/arms deal gone wrong. There was still no sign of Enrico Sombra. The body of the other dealer had been found. His name was Sergio Ivanov, he was a smuggler/arms dealer from Russia. He was known to one best smugglers in the world. His body had been fished out of the water days ago. Currently his boat was at the bottom of ocean. The thermite charges caused a chain reaction with some explosives that were in the cargo hold. It caused an explosion in the front of the boat causing it to sink faster. They were still finding body parts as the investigation when on. Investigators had found body parts belonging to over twenty separate people. The dock itself had been utterly destroyed. Arnold had to admit, he had done a hell of a job.

Arnold picked up his pace. He loved to run. It helped clear his head. This was the second time that his actions in San Lorenzo played in his mind. The first time was when his alternate self left. In some ways he missed having that other voice in his head. It was the only person that really knew him. Arnold started his fourth lap around the block.

Arnold rounded the corner to Vine St. He started sprinting towards the Sunset Arms. He stopped at stoop and started to catch his breath. He stretched his body to loosen up his muscles. No matter how he tried he felt no remorse for what he did. He thought about all the lives he took, he thought about if they had families, nothing came from it. His thoughts would go to Maria, all the villagers that died, the girls that would have sold in to slavery. He wasn't trying to play god, but he figured on the cosmic scale things were even. He may burn in hell for eternity, but it was worth it. He walked in the house and down to the basement. He was in the mood to life some weights.

**Chapter 5 Completed. I know this chapter was dark. I warned you that his secret was bad. Let me know what you think. Was Arnold wrong for what he did? Read and Review. **


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Hey Arnold**

**Chapter 6- Everyone has a Secret**

**H. Pataki Residence**

Helga was sitting in her living room re-reading an article and looking at photos that she found after hearing Arnold's story. It wasn't that she didn't believe Phoebe, she had to see it for herself. Phoebe's story, though violent, didn't do the stories that she found in the internet justice. She understood why he did it, but it seemed impossible that one man could cause so much damage. The authorities found several body parts, and hardly any whole bodies. When they found Enrico Sombra's body, most of his face was missing. They were only able to identify him by DNA. The explosion damaged the equivalent of a city block. The investigation had to be done by boat. She now understood why Phoebe said Olga shouldn't try to start anything with Arnold. Add that the fact that he was a black belt and has an arsenal in his basement. He was a force to be reckoned with if tempted. Helga's phone rang. She looked at the screen, it was Olga. She exited her browser, closed her laptop, and then answered her phone.

"Hey Olga." Helga said. She already knew what this call was about.

"I heard you have been hanging around with Shortman and his daughter again." Olga yelled.

"What's your point Olga?" Helga said. It was true, Helga tried to spend as much time as she could with Arnold. Because of their schedules, most of the time she spent around him also involved Phoebe, Gerald and the twins. Apparently Elise wanted the same thing, except with Izzy. The girls were practically joined at the hip. She didn't mind having everyone around, but she really wanted to have him all too herself. She had hoped that Arnold would have asked her out by now, but he hadn't yet.

"You shouldn't be around him!" Olga yelled.

Whenever Olga yelled, it sounded like claws against a chalked board. It always gave Helga an instant headache. "I am not getting into this with you again Olga." She said. "You keep using that lame excuse. I like him. I like his daughter. If you have a problem with that…deal with it."

"But, baby sister…"

"No Olga. Don't give me that "family" shit." Helga yelled into the phone. "Arnold hasn't done anything to you, he isn't trying to do anything to you. He has let go of the situation. So why can't you!"

"But mom…"

"But nothing Olga. When you decide to grow up, call me." Helga hung up her phone. She took a deep breath, then exhaled. At that moment, she wished she could have some of that whiskey that Arnold drank. Then an idea popped into her head. "Why wait for him?" Helga picked up her phone and sent Arnold a text.

_Helga: "Do you and Izzy want to do something today?"_

_Arnold: "Sure. What do you have in mind?"_

_Helga: "Dinner and a movie. My treat."_

_Arnold: "Great. Want me to call P &amp; G?"_

_Helga: "I was thinking it could just be us."_

_Arnold: "Sure you want that?"_

_Helga: "Why wouldn't I?"_

_Arnold: "Didn't know if you were scared of me."_

_Helga: "Curious is more like it."_

_Arnold: "Alright. Pick you up at seven. Is it ok if Elise is with us?"_

_Helga: "Sure."_

_Arnold: "See you in a little while."_

Helga put down her phone. "That wasn't too hard." She thought to herself. He walked into her room to take a shower and pick out an outfit.

**Shortman Residence**

Arnold sat down his phone and smiled. He decided that he would give Helga some space after she learned about San Lorenzo. That story was a lot to take in and he wanted her to really think about taking things to another level. He gave Phoebe, Gerald and Susie years to process the information.

He walked out of his office and up to Izzy's room. Izzy and Elise were having one last slumber party before the start of school. They were starting school the following Monday. The girls had become very close over the last few weeks and were looking forward to their first day. Arnold knocked on the door before walking in.

"Girls." Arnold said. "Helga invited us to dinner and a movie. Get ready and meet me downstairs." Arnold closed the door and walked to his bedroom. He wanted to take a quick shower and put on a different outfit. It was just dinner and a movie, but there was no reason he couldn't dress to impress.

Back in Izzy's room, the girls shut off the television and started to get ready.

"I think your dad likes Ms. Helga. Elise said.

"What makes you think that? Izzy asked.

"I have caught him staring at her a few times." Elise said. "Not in a creepy way, but you can tell he is interested. When he saw that I caught him, he would smile at me and wink."

"Maybe he does." Izzy said. "He could use a girlfriend. I know he gets lonely."

"We could try to get them together." Elise said. "This is kinda like a date."

"How would we do that?" Izzy said. Both girls put on their shoes and started walking downstairs. They walked into the living room. Izzy cut on the massive television and the girls sat and waited for Arnold to finish getting ready.

"When we get to the movie theatre, we could see something for kids our age and let them see something for adults." Elise said.

"What about when we go eat?" Izzy asked. She was starting to like this idea. She also really liked Helga.

"We can sit in a booth and have those two sit on the same side." Elise said.

"Have you done this before?" Izzy asked. "You came up with this plan easily."

"I saw it in a lot of movies." Elise said. "My mom does it for her snooty rich friends all the time. I think she called it a set up."

"Where is your mom?" Izzy asked.

"Out of the country." Elise said. "She said the she would be back for the first day of school but I don't believe her." Rhonda was currently in France for a fashion show. At least she had Beverly, her nanny.

Izzy hated that her now best friend became depressed when she talked about her mom. From what she could tell her mom was hardly around. And when her mom was around, she paid very little attention to Elise. Izzy asked about her father a few days ago, and Elise started crying. She said she didn't know anything about him, but the way she said it, Izzy didn't believe her. She didn't stress though, if Elise didn't want to say, she didn't have to.

You girls ready? Arnold asked walking into the living room. He was wearing a black long sleeve shirt with the sleeves pulled up, and a pair of khaki cargo pants.

"Yes." The girls said in unison.

The three headed to the garage and got into his truck. Realizing he forgot something Arnold pulled out his phone and sent a quick text.

_Arnold: "I need your address."_

A minute pass and Arnold's phone vibrated.

_Helga: "1605 Grey St. I will be outside by the time you get here."_

Arnold put the address into his GPS and pulled out of the garage onto the road. He put on some jazz as he drove. He didn't want to eavesdrop on the two girls talking to each other. Izzy deserved her privacy when it came to her best friend. Arnold really liked Elise. He noticed that she became sad when the subject of her mother came up, and she never talked about her father. It was a subject that he wouldn't bring up for fear of the girl getting defensive.

Arnold look in the rearview mirror at the little. Elise looked just like her mother, but certain facial features and the unique color of her eyes were clues to the identity of her father. If her father was the man that Arnold thought he was, there was a good reason she didn't talk about him. Thaddeus "Curly" Gammelthorpe was executed for the murder of fifteen girls that looked just like Rhonda.

Arnold received confirmation about this from Phoebe. She told him that at a party years ago, a drunk Rhonda and Curly hooked up at a party. Everybody knew that they had sex, but Rhonda denied it happening. Curly wasn't exactly the sanest person, but Rhonda denying that night broke the last the shred of sanity he had. He left Hillwood and then girls that looked like Rhonda started disappearing from neighboring cities. Arnold thought what he did was horrible, but he couldn't pass judgment on him. He too understood what it was like to snap and commit murder. The only difference was Arnold did it for vengeance, Curly did it because of an obsession.

"Your destination is on your right." The voice from the GPS brought Arnold out of his deep thought. Helga was standing on the sidewalk waving. Helga was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a tight fitting polo shirt. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail. Arnold had to admit, she looked cute. He pulled over to allow her to get in the truck.

"Hello girls." Helga said as she got in. Helga put on her seatbelt as Arnold pulled back onto the road. "Hello to you too sir."

"Good evening." Arnold said keeping his eyes on the road. "You look nice."

"Thank you." Helga said. "You aren't too bad yourself." Helga turned and looked at the two girls in the back. "I was thinking we could go see that new superhero flick. It's supposed to be pretty good."

"Sure that works." Elise said. She turned to Izzy and whispered. "We can sit in the row in front of them." Izzy nodded her head in agreement.

"Is that a descent choice, Dad? Helga said in a childish voice.

Arnold started laughing at her. "Your treat, your choice. But I get the snacks."

"Not too many snacks though. We are eating afterwards. This place has huge ice cream sundaes." She turned and looked at the girls as she spoke. She winked at them. Both girls started giggling.

Once they reached the theatre, Arnold dropped Helga off at the front so that she could get the tickets and he could park. Once he parked the three found Helga, and walked into the building.

"I will go get the snacks. What does everyone want? Arnold asked the three ladies.

"Just popcorn and something to drink for us." Izzy said. They decided on just popcorn so that they could have a sundae after dinner.

"I will take a cherry soda and a box of caramel candies covered with chocolate. Helga said.

Arnold walked over to the concession counter and waited to order. There was a medium size crowd at the theatre. Several blockbuster movies had been released during the summer. Arnold wasn't really into movies, but having a young daughter that did meant he saw a lot of them. Izzy was into action and animation movies. It didn't bother him that she didn't like "girly" movies. He got their order, then walked back over to the group. He handed the girls their popcorn and drinks, then handed Helga hers. Left in his hands was only a bottle of water.

"You didn't want anything." Helga said, with an eyebrow raised. They started walking to the screen room where the movie was playing.

"Daddy doesn't eat junk food." Izzy said popping a kernel of popcorn in her mouth. "I am lucky he lets me have it."

"You're not one of those health nut types are you? Helga said as they walked into the screen room. There was descent amount of people in it, but they easily found four seats.

"I'm just not a fan of popcorn or candy." Arnold said as they walked towards the empty seats.

Before the girls sat down, they noticed two seats in front of their current row were also empty. "Do you mind if we sit in those seats Mr. Shortman?" Elise asked. She pointed to two seats directly in front of them.

"Sure." Arnold said. He picked up each girl individually and placed them in the seats. Once they were situated he sat down besides Helga.

"They have you wrapped around their fingers, you know that right?" Helga said with a small smile on her face. She loved the cute father-daughter moments between Arnold and Izzy. It was something she never got from her father. Until she saw Gerald and Arnold with their daughters, she didn't believe moments like that existed.

Arnold shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe they do. You probably could too if you tried." He opened his bottle of water and took a long sip. The lights dimmed and the trailers started. He didn't see the look of shock on Helga's face from his comment.

After the movie ended and the group left the theatre. Helga picked a steakhouse for them to have dinner. The restaurant had a western motif, but it was family oriented. The hostess escorted the group to a large booth, where as planned the girls sat on the same side so that Arnold and Helga could sit together.

"Ladies first." Arnold said, helping Helga into the booth. It was obvious that the girls were trying have him and Helga as close as possible. He wanted the same thing, but he would play along with the girls.

"Do you always have to play the gentleman?" Helga said, surprised that he actually grabbed her hand to help her into the booth. The act made Helga noticeably blush.

"I have three ladies with me. Of course I do." Arnold said smiling at her. Arnold sat down beside her. Helga noticed that Arnold continued to hold her hand after he sat down. She didn't mind, she enjoyed the contact.

"Hi, I'm Lilly. I will be your waitress this evening." Can I start you off with something to drink?" The girls ordered sodas, Helga ordered a margarita, and Arnold ordered a beer and some water.

By the time the waitress brought the drinks, everyone had already chosen what they wanted to eat. Helga ordered and appetizer for the table. Once the waitress left the conversation topic was the movie they had just seen. Elise and Izzy were doing most of the talking. Helga would occasionally join in when certain scenes in the movie came up. After the appetizer was brought, Helga noticed that Arnold was looking around the restaurant. He seemed to be deep in concentration.

"Are you ok? Helga asked.

"Sorry about that." He said. "Old habits die hard." He took a sip of his beer.

"Old habits." Helga said with a confused look on her face.

"He was scanning the restaurant Ms. Helga. Izzy said. "You know, memorizing the area we are in. Making sure he knows the exits, watching the people around us. Always be aware of your surroundings." She said proudly.

"Um, Ok." Helga said. She look at Arnold with an eyebrow raised. "What else are you teaching her?

"Little bit of this, little bit of that." Arnold said.

After the waitress brought their orders, the table became quite. Most of the conversation came from the two girls tasting each other's food, and whispering to each other. Arnold would look at the girls and smile. They acted like he and Gerald did when they were that age. He had passed down the thumb shake to them. Once everyone finished their meals, the girls were allowed to order desert. Both girls ordered an ice cream sundaes with toppings of their choice. Helga ordered another drink. Arnold just finished his beer.

"You sure you don't want anything else Mr. Health Nut." Helga said, taking another sip of her drink.

"Thank you but no." Arnold said. He noticed that the girls has finished their deserts. "But I will take the girls to the restroom so that they can clean up." Even though they were smart for their age, they still made a mess when it came to ice cream.

"Sure you don't want me to do it." Helga said.

"No, I got it." Arnold said. "Plus I have to handle some business of my own." He placed his hand on Helga's. "We will be back in a minute. Enjoy your drink. Come on girls." Arnold and the girls got up from the table and headed towards the restrooms.

Helga let out a deep breathe. She was really enjoying the evening. Granted she would have liked to have Arnold all to herself, though she didn't mind the family atmosphere. She actually really liked it. It felt like she was a mom for the evening. The waitress approached her with the bill.

"You have a wonderful family." Selena said as she laid the bill on the table. Your daughter's are so cute.

Helga was surprised by the comment, but she didn't correct the girl. "Thank you. They are pretty awesome." She placed her credit card in the booklet and handed it back to the waitress. The waitress walked off to get Helga her receipt. Helga took another sip of her drink. She couldn't help but wonder how she thought that two blondes made white brunette with sky blue eyes and an obviously Latina girl with green eyes. "She probably thinks we adopted." She looked out the window up to the night sky. She pictured what a child from her and Arnold might look like.

"Helga?" A deep voice said.

She instantly recognized the voice. It belonged to someone that she never wanted to see again. She slowly turned and looked up a man that she both hated and feared.

"Wolfgang." Anger could be heard in her voice. "What do you want?"

"Just wanted to say hello sexy. Long time no see." Wolfgang said to her in a sultry voice. "How are things?"

"Get the hell away from me." She said. "I have no reason to talk to you. You disgusting bastard.

"You shouldn't talk to me like that." Wolfgang said. "Especially after the wonderful night that we had together all those years ago." Wolfgang tried to place his hand on hers. Helga quickly moved it and moved as close to the window as she could.

"Come on now sweet cheeks." Wolfgang said. "There is no reason to act to like that." He was about to sit down, when the sound of a man's voice stopped him.

"Excuse me? Is there a problem here? Arnold said.

Wolfgang turned around to see who was interrupting him. He saw the man guide two young girls behind him. "No problem man, just talking to the pretty lady." He stood face to face with Arnold, in hopes of intimidating him.

Arnold looked from Wolfgang over to Helga. She looked scared, but relieved that he was there. "It seems as though my girlfriend doesn't want to talk to you, so I think you should leave." Arnold knew Wolfgang was trying to intimidate him, but it wasn't working.

"And if I don't?" Wolfgang said puffing out his check. Both men were the same height, but Wolfgang had a wider build. People in the restaurant were starting to take an interest in the two men.

"I would prefer not to resort to violence in front of my daughters. Arnold said calmly. "If my memory serves me right, the last time that you disrespected me, I knocked you unconscious with a textbook. A sly smile came to Arnold face. He knew that the comment would bring Wolfgang's memory back.

"Oh shit." Wolfgang said. A look of surprise on his face. "Shortman."

"So unless you want a repeat of the past, I suggest you get the hell away from my girl, and let my family continue to enjoy their evening." Arnold said calmly. Helga noticed the look on his face, it was the same one he had before he broke that guy's nose and arm at the housewarming. Part of her wished that Arnold would hurt him. Especially after what he did to her.

Wolfgang put up his hands and backed away. "I was just saying hello to an old friend." He said walking back over to his group of friends on the other side of the restaurant.

Arnold watched him until he rejoined his friends. He then let the girls sit down, and focused on Helga. She still had fear in her eyes. Arnold placed his hands on hers. "Are you ok?"

"I am fine." Helga said. "I just can't stand him." She took a long sip of her drink, finishing it in one gulp. "Can we leave now?"

"Sure." Arnold said. They got up from the table and left the restaurant. The ride to Helga's apartment was a quite one. Helga finally spoke once her apartment was in view.

"Arnold?" Helga said as they pulled up to her apartment.

Arnold put his truck back into gear and started driving again. "Yes, it's ok if you spend the night with us." He said keeping his eyes on the road.

"How did you know I was going to ask that?" Helga asked.

"The look on you face at the restaurant was one that I have seen before." Arnold said. "The girls that were saved from becoming property in San Lorenzo gave me the same look. I don't know what Sombra's men did to them while they were held captive, but it made them fear and hate me. It wasn't until Mother Superior told them I was the man that helped save them, did they start to even talk me."

"Hold on. Mother Superior? As in convent? Why were you in a convent?" Helga said.

"The sisters helped me heal after the incident." Arnold said.

"There is a lot more to that story isn't there?" Helga said.

"Maybe." Arnold smiled at Helga. She smiled back. He knew that would change her mood. They pulled up to Arnold's house. He parked and was about the get out when Elise called his name.

"Mr. Shortman." She said. "Can I ask you something, privately?"

Arnold turned and looked at the girl. She looked nervous. "Sure." He said. "Helga, Izzy, can you give us a minute. Helga and Izzy got out of the truck and walked into the house.

"What do you think it's about?" Helga asked Izzy.

"I don't know, she didn't say anything to me." Izzy said, shrugging her shoulders.

Back in the garage, Arnold was waiting for the Elise to talk to him. He had yet to have a conversation with her alone. He figured it had to be important if she wanted to speak to him privately.

"Mr. Shortman, I wanted to ask you about what you said at the restaurant to that man that was bothering Ms. Helga." She said.

"What about it?" Arnold said.

"You called me your daughter, then you said I was part of your family. Did you really mean that? Tears were forming in the little girl's eyes.

"Climb over the armrest and sit in the passenger seat." He said. Once she got situated, he reached in the glove box and grabbed a Kleenex for her. "Of course I meant it." In that moment Elise reached over and hugged him.

"That means so much to me." She said, hugging him tighter, tears flowing down her face.

Arnold really didn't know what was going on, but if there was one thing he learned about women was not to pressure them when they are emotional. Elise ended the hug and sat back down in the passenger seat. After she wiped her tears away, Arnold finally spoke. He chose his words wisely.

"I am not going to ask why that meant so much, I am just glad it does. He said. I have a feeling that it has something to do with your mother, but I am not going to ask." Arnold reached over, grabbing the girl's chin lightly to face him. Once his eyes met hers he spoke again. "But if you ever need anything, and I mean ANYTHING, you call me. You are always welcome in my home."

"Thank you Mr. Shortman." Elise said.

"Go inside. I will be there in a minute." Arnold said to the girl. Elise got out of the truck and walked into the house.

Arnold sat for a minute and thought about the events of the evening. Why does Helga fear Wolfgang? Why did Elise react that way? He came to the conclusion that he had a few phone calls to make in the morning. He would let the issues go for now. He walked in the house to see Helga sitting in the living room. Her shoes were off, and she had he legs tucked under her. Not only did she look comfortable but she looked like she belonged there. "Where are the girls?"

Helga jumped a little when he spoke. She didn't hear come in the house. "They went upstairs. Is everything ok? Elise looked like she had been crying. I wanted to ask her about it, but she rushed upstairs."

"She is fine. Just a little emotional about what I said at the restaurant." Arnold sat down on the couch beside Helga. "It made her happy that I called her my daughter and said she was part of my family."

"You also call me your lady." Helga said, nudging Arnold. Was that just an act or did you mean it?

"Both." Arnold said.

"What do you mean both?" He had made several comments like that during the night. She expected him to say one thing, but his reply would be flirtatious. He was as charming as Phoebe said he was.

"First, there was another man at our table." He said. "I am not the jealous type, but he had to have seen all of us together. So I figured calling you my girlfriend would make him leave. Once I saw how scared you looked, I felt the need to protect you…too always protect you. So it was an act in that situation, and in the process became something I eventually want."

Helga didn't know what to say. She just looked at him.

Arnold figured he just fried a circuit in her head. He laughed, then pulled her up from the couch. "Let's get a drink." They walked to Arnold's office. He poured them a glass of whiskey.

Being bold, Helga took her glass in one gulp. The burn put the wheels in her head back in motion. "That is what I needed. Can you get me a bottle of this?"

"Sure." Arnold laughed as he took a sip from his glass. He sat it down and poured Helga another one. "Take it easy, this stuff is strong." They toasted and continued talking.

**Izzy's room**

"So what happened in the garage?" Izzy asked. "Did my father say something mean to you?" Izzy was freaked out that her friend came in the house looking at though she had been crying.

"No, actually it's the opposite." Elise said. Thinking about what Arnold said to her made her smile come back. "He said I was like a daughter to him. He has only known me a few weeks, but he thinks that highly of me."

"Um…duh" Izzy said. "I figured you would have realized that by now."

"You knew?" Elise said. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I figured he would call you it at some point." Izzy said. I mean come on, you spend more time here than you do at home, and he invites you everywhere we go. And before you start doubting things, it's not because of your mom. My dad genuinely cares about you.

"That kinda makes us sisters right?" Elise said.

"The title is already yours." Izzy said as she launched a pillow at Elise.

**Arnold Office/Bedroom**

"Can I ask you something?" She said. Helga moved over to the couch that Arnold was sitting on. She hugged his arm, then laid her head on his shoulder. He warned her that the whiskey was strong, but she still decided to drink four glasses quickly. She wasn't drunk, but she was past tipsy. Arnold figured that incident at the restaurant really bothered her.

"Sure." Arnold said. Unlike Helga he took his time with the whiskey. He knew the effects drinking it too fast could have. His unit called it "Truth Serum", because you would end up spilling secrets if you drank too much, but wouldn't remember anything the next day. And Helga had drank too much too quick. She was in the "secret telling" stage.

"I noticed you didn't ask me what Wolfgang did to me to make me hate him so much. She spoke quietly. She grabbed his hand as started playing with his fingers. "I have never told anyone."

"You don't have too." He said to her. "Plus, you won't remember anything that you said to me tomorrow." The thing about "truth serum" was that once a person was in the "secret telling" stage, they are also trying to stay awake. Keeping them quiet would put them to sleep in a matter minutes.

"What makes you think I won't remember?" Helga said.

Arnold ignored her question. "I thought you wanted to know about the convent." He knew that he could easily get her to be quiet if he brought up something she was curious about. He felt bad for using these tactics on her, but he could not in good conscience allow her to tell him something that personal while intoxicated. He knew more than enough about the guys he used to work with and vice versa.

"Oh yea." How did you end up there? She asked, then yawned. Her speech was slurred. She closed her eyes waiting for him to start.

"Well once the incident at the dock was completed, I had to find a place to recover. I had already set up a way for the tribes to get their land back and free the captive girls. I rebuilt the church for mother superior years ago. It was my way of saying thank her for Izzy. Maria was having complication during childbirth and the tribe took her to the convent for help. She doesn't know it, but Mother Superior is actually Izzy's…." Arnold noticed that Helga stopped playing with his fingers. He listened to her for a minute to confirm that she was asleep.

That's why." Arnold said to a sleeping Helga. Moving slowly he laid Helga down on the couch. He lifted her up into his arms bridal style. He was surprised by how light she was. She stirred a little as he adjusted her position in his arms.

"Where are you taking me?" She snuggled her head into his neck.

"I'm taking you to a room so you can get some rest." He said to her. He enjoyed her cuddling up to him like she was. It had been a long time since he held a woman like this. He left his office started walking to the suite that she slept in the night of the slumber party. He could hear the girls in the attic laughing.

I don't want to be alone tonight." She said sleepily. Can I sleep with you?

"I don't know..." Arnold said hesitantly.

"Please" Helga said in a whining tone. She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled closer into his neck.

Arnold gave in. "Fine, but I need you to stand on your own for a moment so I can open the door. He put her down, but held on to her so that she wouldn't fall. He unlocked the door to his room and picked her back up. He walked in and laid her down on his bed.

"I am going to check on the girls and I will be right back." He left the room and walked up to the attic. He knocked on the door then entered. The Izzy was laying on her bed and Elise was laying on the couch. He watched them for a minute before saying anything. "Just wanted to say goodnight girls."

"Goodnight daddy." Izzy said.

"Goodnight Mr. Shortman." Elise said.

Arnold closed the door and walked back into his bedroom. Helga made herself comfortable by getting under his blanket. He noticed her jeans were on the floor. Arnold shook his head then walked into his closet to change. He put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He normally slept shirtless, but seeing as Helga was in his bed, he didn't want her to wake up and get the wrong idea. He got into the bed and laid on his back. Helga immediately grabbed his arm, snuggled up close to him, and then fell back into a deep sleep. Her entire body was up against his, and one of her legs was entwined between his. It wasn't uncomfortable, it just seemed like a very intimate position to sleep in. "You're thinking too hard about this, just enjoy it." He thought to himself. He stared at the ceiling until sleep claimed him.

**You didn't think Arnold was the only one with secrets did you? Either way, I hope you liked this chapter. Please continue to read and review. Next up, Elise and Helga.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Hey Arnold.**

**Chapter 7-Nightmares**

**Elise**

(Dream Sequence/Flashback-Two weeks ago)

The sound of a door slamming woke Elise up from her sleep. The day had been an especially a long one. Arnold invited Elise to go to a water park with Izzy and the twins. Gerald, Phoebe and Helga were there also. She really enjoyed her time with Arnold, he was like the father that she never had. Plus, it was nice that he paid attention to her. Arnold made sure she had on sunblock and he even helped her get over her fear of deep water. The way he treated her made Elise feel special. That was something she couldn't say about her mom. If and when her mom was at home, she hardly paid attention to her. When she did, it seemed like her mom was always mad at her about something. Sometimes Elise felt like her mom hated her.

She got out of bed and went to the bathroom. She could hear the voices of her mother and another woman downstairs. Elise didn't recognize the voice, she hardly ever did. Her mom would come home with random people all the time. Sometimes more than one, those were the nights that Elise couldn't get any sleep. Her mom would throw a "just for the hell of it" party. There would be alcohol, and from what Izzy could tell, drugs. She would sit at the top of the stairs and watch her mom and her "friends" smoke funny smelling cigarettes, sniff white stuff up their noses and take a lot off pills. The end result would be the adults acting like idiots. Elise learned from an internet search that they were smoking marijuana, snorting cocaine, and the pills could have been a number of things. After she finished her business, she walked out of the bathroom with the intent of going back to her room. The conversation between her mom and her mom's guest caught her attention. And from all the snorting she was hearing, they were more than likely doing cocaine

"Her father was obsessed with me."

Instead of going to her room, Elise stayed at the top of the stairs to listen to the conversation. She didn't know anything about her father. Her mother never talked about him. When Elise would ask, her mom would say that he was a mistake that she didn't need to know about.

_"You did sleep with him though, didn't you?"_

"I did, but I wasn't going to admit to it. His lawyer made a motion for a paternity test to prove it. They were going to use us sleeping together to get an insanity plea. They wanted to prove that I was the reason he went crazy and murdered all those girls. After the results came back, lying would have just made things worse.

_"Having a daughter out of wedlock with a psychotic murderer wasn't bad enough?"_

Once they proved that we slept together and that Elise was in fact his daughter, my parents disowned me. They didn't want to deal with the fact that their daughter fucked a psycho to mess up their reputation. It was a good thing my fashion line had already taken off, or else I would be broke. Honestly, he probably the reason I made my millions. People love a psycho love story."

_"Why didn't you just get an abortion when you found out you were pregnant? Then you wouldn't have had anything to worry about."_

"I was already pregnant out of wedlock, I didn't want to add insult to injury. And at the time, I didn't know who the father was. I wasn't exactly a virgin you know.

_"Yeah, you were a bit of a slut back then. Come to think of it, you are still a slut now."_

"Fuck You Gloria. You are just as bad."

_"I may be, but at least I use birth control."_

"Well, after I had her, I got my tubes tied. I had a C-section instead of a natural birth. I wasn't going to let her fuck up my body more than she already did.

_"Wow, that's harsh."_

"It's not harsh. Because of who her father is, that little shit has fucked up my life in more ways than one. Even though I am still rich, I would have a lot more if it wasn't for her. Then there is the possibility that she may be just like him. She might go crazy and kill me in my sleep. That is why I stay as far away from her as possible. She will kill her nanny before she kills me."

_That is some kind of fucked up you know that. She is your daughter."_

"She is his daughter. To me, she is a mistake I am stuck with for 8 more years. Can we do another line and change the subject please."

Two long snorts could be heard from downstairs. The two women were silent for a few minutes, then the conversation continued.

_"Ok. So, how long did it take for the cops to figure out the connection between you and the missing girls?"_

"The connection wasn't made until he was caught. All they had up until then was that the girls looked similar. White female, between the age of 24 and 28, with jet black hair and brown eyes. He openly admitted to killing them."

_"He admitted it? How did they catch him? If he could kill fifteen women without leaving a shred of evidence, it doesn't seem likely that he would make a mistake and get caught."_

"His sixteenth victim surprised him. He didn't know that she was a black belt in some type of martial art. She wasn't studying it at the time he was stalking her, he only saw her do yoga. She fucked him up pretty good, then called the police. "

_"How did they find out about the other women?"_

"Other than fitting the profile of the serial killer, he proudly admitted to the murders when they booked him. When they asked why he did it, he said it was to prove his love for me and leave a legacy for his child to live up to.

_"How did he know that Elise was his child?"_

"He did the math. Between the murders he continued to stalk me without me knowing. That was another reason his lawyer ordered the paternity test."

_"This wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything. Well…other than have drunken unprotected sex with him and bore his possibly psychotic child."_

"Exactly! It wasn't my fault. I may have slept with him, but I didn't say go out and murder innocent women in my name. That is the exact reason I stay away from the girl. Every time I look at her I see him. I think about the women he murdered. I think about the way their families looked at me with disgust when they learned I was the reason the daughters were killed. That is why she has a nanny, and I continue to live my life the way I want.

_"If you would have just admitted that you fucked him, maybe he wouldn't have went on a three year killing spree."_

"Yeah maybe, but it doesn't matter now. As of midnight tonight, Curly Gammelthorpe will be getting a lethal injection. It damn sure took them long enough to carry out his sentence."

_"You know how the legal system is. I would figure you would want to watch his execution. Did he make any last request?_

"Nope. The further I am away from him the better. The warden did call me and told me that Curly's last request was a picture of the Elise. I told him hell no and hung up.

_"Damn, that's cold. Couldn't even give a dying man his wish."_

"He fucked up my life. For all I care he can die and burn in hell.

Elise!

"I wanted to give her up for adoption but I didn't think anyone will take her when they learn who her father is. She may have ended up in the system, increasing the chances she would become a killer.

Elise!

Sometime when she looks at me, I think she wants to kill me.

"ELISE!"

Elise woke up to Izzy shaking her. "What! I'm up, I'm up."

"You were crying in your sleep." Izzy said. "Is everything ok?"

"I was having a bad dream." Elise said sleepily. "I am sorry for waking you."

"Why were you crying?" Izzy asked.

"Something my mom said a few weeks ago." Elise said. "I don't want bother you with it."

"You are my best friend." Izzy said. "Your problems are my problems." Izzy was trying her hardest to make her friend feel better. The dream she had must have been horrible. "If you need to, I can go get my dad."

"That is not necessary." Elise said. "It was just a bad dream."

"What was it about?" Izzy said. The only person that she knew that had nightmares that bad was her father when she was younger.

Elise sighed. "It turns out my father is a convicted serial killer that got executed." Elise said. "And I heard my mom say that she doesn't really care for me."

"What do you mean that she doesn't care about you? Izzy paused, thinking about the first thing Elise said. "Did you just say your father was a serial killer?

"Yep. I heard my mom talking about it the day we went to the water park." Elise said. "Which was apparently the same day he got executed."

"Um…Wow…Are you sure you don't want to talk to my father." Izzy asked.

"I don't want to wake him up." Elise said. "I don't want to freak him out."

"I don't' think that is possible." Izzy, hugged her friend. "My dad's pretty hardcore."

"If it will make you feel better, I will do it in the morning. Elise said. "I promise."

Izzy hoped that Elise would keep that promise.

**Helga**

(Dream Sequence/Flashback-Rhonda's 21st Birthday Party)

"I really don't want to go to this party. Helga said. She was lying face down on her bed in a robe.

"Aww, come on Helga." Phoebe said. It's the last party before we go back to college, the least you could do is come with me." Phoebe walked into Helga closet to pick something out her to wear. "You don't have to dress fancy, just put on something cute." The sound of hangars sliding back and forth started coming from the closet, then they abruptly stopped. "Helga, is that what I think it is?"

Helga had rid of the shrines, so Phoebe could only be talking about one thing. When Arnold became cold and distant to everyone other than Gerald and Phoebe, she figured it was time to let go of her obsession with him. She still had her journals and a massive collection of her poetry. The box that Phoebe held in her hand contained her locket, her pink ribbon, a red shoe, a note, and a journal that she failed to retrieve after several attempts. In the end it was given back to her along with the journal, the shoe and the note.

"I figured you would have gotten rid of these after, you know." Phoebe said shyly.

"I wanted to, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Helga said. She got off the bed, grabbed the box from Phoebe and put it back in her closet. After digging around for a few minutes Helga came out of the closet with an outfit that consisted a black tank top with a pink skull and cross bones on it, a plaid black and pink skirt and a pair of calf high boots. Helga laid the outfit on her bed awaiting her best friend's approval. "Does this work?"

"If you put your hair in pig tails and put on a little make up. You would a Harley Quinn thing going for you." Phoebe said. "I approve. Now hurry up and take a shower." Helga walked out of her room towards the bathroom. "Gerald should be here soon."

"Alright, aright." Helga said keep your panties on!"

After showering, dressing and putting on a minimum amount of make-up, Helga walked downstairs into the living room where Phoebe and Gerald were waiting for her. "What's up tall hair boy?" Helga said.

"Pataki." Gerald said back. They weren't exactly the best of friends, but they tried to be civil for Phoebe's sake. Gerald more than Helga. "So are we ready to go?"

"Sure." Helga said." The group left the house and got into Gerald's Charger. Gerald being a gentleman opened the doors for both ladies. "I could have did that myself."

"Just accept the chivalry and shut up." Gerald said. He closed her door than walked over to the driver's side. He started up the car, docked his phone, and then put an address into the GPS. Gerald put the vehicle in gear and then drove off.

"Where exactly is this party being held? Helga asked when Gerald turned on to the highway.

"They converted the old FTi building into a luxury hotel." Gerald said. "Rhonda' parent's rented the presidential suite for the night. There is supposed to be close to one hundred people there for her twenty first birthday."

"If Rhonda is throwing this party, there is probably going to be more than alcohol there." Helga said. Rhonda being an international party girl, had a reputation for experimenting in more ways than one. "Do you two plan on drinking?"

"I may have a drink or two." Phoebe said. "You don't have to worry Helga, Gerald already got us rooms in the hotel. We are staying there tonight so that we can enjoy ourselves."

"I didn't bring a change of clothes." Helga said.

"Already taken care of. Phoebe said. "I packed you an overnight back while you were in the shower. It's in the trunk."

"Always looking out for me aren't you Pheebs." Helga said.

"If know you would've said no if I asked." Phoebe said. "It was hard enough getting you to come to the party."

The car ride became quiet after that. The three friends listened to the music that Gerald was playing. Helga expected him to be listening to rap, but oddly enough he was listening to old school jazz. "I guess they have the same taste in music." She thought to herself. "Gerald, um, have you heard from Arnold lately? She had no idea what mad her that question.

Gerald and Phoebe looked at each other, then Gerald looked in the review mirror at Helga. "Why do you ask?" He said with one eye brow raised. In the three years since Arnold left, Helga never asked about him. Gerald knew that Helga used to have feeling for his best friend, but it would have been wrong for him to intervene. Especially since he himself took forever to tell Phoebe how he felt about her.

Helga thought of the quickest excuse she could to answer Gerald's question. "Well we are going to a party at what used to be the headquarters of the company that wanted to destroy our neighborhood." Helga said crossing her arms. "Me you and the football head did make sure that didn't happen. Not to mention no one has seen him in three years, I was just curious." Irritation could be heard in Helga's voice. Her usual defense mechanism in awkward situations.

Phoebe ever the peacekeeper between her stubborn boyfriend and short tempered best friend spoke up. "Gerald and I received a letter from Arnold at the beginning of the summer." Phoebe hated that the two couldn't have a conversation without one side getting irritated. She wanted to hurry up and get to the party. She didn't drink much but, those two made her want to down a whole bottle.

"Humph. A letter is all you got in two years." Helga said. "What kind of friend does that?"

Gerald was glad the hotel was in view. Everything with Helga was a fight. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, he let Helga's comment go in one ear and out the other. They pulled up to the hotel, retrieved their bags from the trunk, and then walked inside to the reception desk. "Reservations for Johanssen." Gerald said to the receptionist. Phoebe grabbed Gerald's hand a smiled at him. Her smile could always calm him when irritated.

The woman started typing on her keyboard. "Ah yes we have two room for you on the 15th floor. She said. "Rooms 1508 and 1507, they are right across from each other as requested. If you are here for the Wellington Lloyd party also, just take the elevator up to the top floor.

"Alright let's get this over with." Helga said, grabbing her bag and started walking towards the elevator. They rode up to the 15th floor, dropping their bags off in their individual room.

"Gerald, go on to the party. Helga and I will be up momentarily." Phoebe said, kissing him on the cheek.

Gerald grabbed her hand before he walked out of the door. "I am trying to be nice to her baby." He said. "But from now on, Arnold is off limits." Gerald glad that Arnold was ok, and seeing pictures of him was great. The uncertainty that he might never see his best friend again bothered him.

"I know love. I know." Phoebe placed a hand on his face. "I will talk to her." They left their hotel room together parting ways as Phoebe knocked on Helga's door. Helga opened the door and let her in.

"Where is tall hair boy? She said. Helga was eating a candy bar from the mini bar.

Phoebe sighed. "I really wish you would call him by his name Helga. He is trying his hardest to get along with you, but you make it so difficult. Not to mention your comment about Arnold really hurt his feelings." Phoebe sat down on the bed in the room. "I just don't understand why you have to be that way."

"What kind of person just disappears like that, Pheebs?"

"Helga."

"I mean, what he is doing that is so important that he can't stay in contact with you guys.

"Helga."

"We go to colleges on different sides of the country and we still…"

HELGA! Phoebe yelled effectively stopping Helga from talking. Calming herself down, Phoebe spoke again. "From what we do know about Arnold's chosen lifestyle, is afford him much free time. And even though Susie, Gerald and I miss him dearly, Arnold has a reason for everything that he does or in this case doesn't do." Phoebe looked at her friend of eighteen years. Just try to get along with Gerald for me, and just don't bring up Arnold…at all. Ok?"

Helga hugged her best friend. "Sure Pheebs. Just for you." Phoebe got up and linked her arm in Helga's. "Let party." The girls left the room and headed up to the presidential suite.

They got up to the top floor of the hotel. The elevator opened to large two story open floored suite. The balcony circled the entire suite. The suite could easily hold one hundred plus people. The two women entered the room and decided that look for Gerald. They walked around the entire first floor to get a feel of the area. They found Gerald at the bar getting drinks. A Lloyd Wellington event always had an open bar, amongst other things. When they walked up to Gerald, he handed Phoebe her favorite, a sex on the beach, he handed Helga an apple martini. He then picked up his rum and coke and pointed to the balcony. The music was so loud they couldn't hear each other talk. They reached the balcony and breathed a sigh of relief that their ear drums weren't bleeding.

"I don't recognize any of these people." Phoebe said. She took a sip of her drink.

"A lot of them probably don't' even know Rhonda." Helga said. "We all know how shallow the world of modeling can be. Rhonda throws an over extravagant party, and people just want to say they were here.

The trio stayed on the balcony for a while enjoying drinks and conversation with old classmates. They met the new friends of old friends. They laughed and most of the evening they enjoyed themselves. Even Helga had to admit she was enjoying herself and that was usually when things went wrong.

Gerald and Phoebe had been out on the dance floor for about twenty minutes. Even though he was a foot taller than her, they still looked cute together. Sometimes Helga she was jealous of Phoebe. She had the one and only man she wanted. She knew her heart they would go the distance. Helga dated in high school and in college, but the relationships didn't last long.

Once puberty came, Helga became a force to be reckoned with. Sports kept her body in shape, and once she gained faith in her own talents, they would be commended. Not by Miriam and Bob, but by her teachers, her peers, the public. Her writings had won her several awards, she had been varsity MVP in girls' basketball twice. Even though they weren't on display, Helga had just as many trophies as Olga. Helga became her own woman, a feat that she would always be proud of.

"Hello there beautiful." A deep brought Helga out of her thoughts.

"Helga sighed then spoke. "What do you want Wolfgang."

"Just came over say hello. He said, leaning up against the balcony rail where she was standing. "Wondered if you would reconsider my offer". Wolfgang was dressed in a pair of black slacks with a buttoned up long sleeved shirt and a pair of black wing tips. As Wolfgang grew he became a bit of a ladies man. There weren't too many women that didn't fall for his good looks and charms. Except the one standing in front of him now.

Wolfgang wanted Helga to be another one of his many conquest, which was something that she could not allow to happen. Helga Pataki would not be a notch in a man's belt. Wolfgang had been trying to get her to go out with him for over a year. "My answer is the same." She said. "No!"

"Alright." He said putting up his hands in defeat. "At least have a drink with me." He gave her his million watt smile.

Helga knew this was the only way to get rid of him. "Sure. Tequila Sunrise please."

"No problem beautiful." Wolfgang said. I'll be right back. He walked to the bar and placed their orders. While bartender was pouring their drinks he reached into his pocket and slipped something into the folds of his palm. Once their drinks were made, he grabbed both by the rim, opening his palm up enough to let the object fall into Helga's drink. The drug would not alter the taste of the cocktail, so she wouldn't notice anything until it took effect. He took his time walking back towards her letting it fully dissolve. Once he reached her, he handed her the glass. "Cheers." They both drank from their glasses. "It won't be long now."

A few minute passed and Helga started to feel strange. She only had three drinks, there was no way she could be this drunk.

"Are you ok?" Wolfgang said. There was a look of concern on his face.

"C-Can you help me find Gerald and Phoebe? She asked. Helga's voice was slurred, and it was hard to keep her balance.

"I think they left a while ago." Wolfgang said. He was lying. Phoebe and Gerald were on the other side of the suite chatting with a group of friends. "I can help you. What do you need?"

"Can you help me to my room? Helga asked. She tried to walk forward but she stumbles as she took a step.

"I got you." Wolfgang caught her and wrapped one of her arms around his shoulders. He slowly started walking her to the elevator. He pressed the button to call the elevator. Once it arrived they got inside and he asked her to point which floor her room was on. Helga shakily pointed to the 15 button on the panel. The doors closed and they headed down. Once the elevator reached her floor the door opened and he brought her out the elevator. He was half dragging her at this point. What room?

Helga reached into her cleavage and pulled out the key to her room. The number across the top of the key read 1507. He got her to her room, opened the door and walked Helga over to the bed. Rather than being gentle, he threw her on the bed. Her legs were hanging off the bed, and Wolfgang could see up her skirt. He walked up to Helga and started moving his hands up her thighs until he could feel her lace panties.

Feeling a pair of hands up her skirt made Helga's eyes open wide, but she was too weak to fight the person off. She tried to move her arms, but they wouldn't budge. Wolfgang slipped off her panties and start fondling her womanhood. Helga felt beyond violated but there was nothing she could do. Tears started flowing out of her eyes as she realized what Wolfgang was going to do to her. Then everything went dark.

**There you go everyone. Chapter 7 completed. Please read and review.**

**A/N: Ladies please don't be mad at me for this chapter. I know that is a horrible situation to put Helga in. Trust me when I say I felt bad while writing it. I would not wish that on anyone. I tried to tone it down seeing as this is a T rated story. **


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Hey Arnold or the song you are my sunshine.**

**Chapter 8-Adopting Elise**

**Arnold's Bedroom**

Arnold awoke to a sharp pain in his left arm. He cut on a lamp to see why his arm was hurting. Helga was digging her nails into his arm to the point that she was drawing blood. She was also crying and saying "please stop" in her sleep. Arnold figured she was having a nightmare about Wolfgang. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he did to her. It was something Arnold was also going to make sure he would pay for. He knew from experience that men that did things like that have usually had done it more than once.

Rather than wake Helga up, Arnold took the pain. With his free arm, he lovingly stroked her hair and sang in her ear. He chose to sing a song that would calm down Izzy when she was fussy.

_"You are my sunshine. My only sunshine."_

_"You make me happy, when skies are grey"_

_"You never know dear, how much I love you."_

_"Please don't take my sunshine away."_

He sang and stroked her hair until she calmed down and stopped crying. Once she relaxed, Arnold kissed her on the forehead. He got up, deciding that he would go for his run earlier than usual. He went into his bathroom and cleaned up the wounds on his arm. He then cleaned the blood on Helga hands. He didn't want her to freak out if woke up and saw it. He got dressed, checked on Helga again then went out for his run.

A wave of pain shot through Helga's head causing her to wake up. She turned over, covering her head with the blanket and curling into a ball. After getting somewhat comfortable, she realized that she wasn't in her own bed. She sat up quickly, looking around the room to figure out exactly where she was. She almost panicked until she realized that she was in Arnold's room. "Wait! What the hell am I doing in Arnold's room? Why can't I remember anything from last night?" She thought to herself. She looked under the blanket, happy that she still had on some clothing. "Ok. Nothing happened. Even though…" She said.

Helga laid down to ease the pain in her head. "Why didn't he take me to the other room? Not that I mind being in his bed." She snuggled into his pillow. On the night stand beside her, there was a picture of Arnold and Izzy as a baby. He had baby Izzy in one of his arms and she was holding on to his finger. The picture reminded her of the many father-daughter moments she had seen over the past few weeks. Unlike the moments that she had seen, this moment had actually been captured on camera. Since that was the only picture in the room, Helga figured she was sleeping on Arnold's side of the bed. The bathroom door opened. Arnold walked out drying his hair and talking on the phone. She hadn't heard the shower or a toilet flush, so Helga figured he must have just come from his office. He was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that was soaked with sweat. "He must have been working out." Helga closed her eyes and listened to the conversation.

"Yeah, she's asleep in my bed…It wasn't my idea…She asked me…She seemed scared…Wolfgang…No, I didn't…She was kind of drunk…I did tell her not to drink it to quickly…Ok…Alright…Bye."

Arnold hung up his phone and placed it on his dresser. He threw the towel on the floor then took off his shirt, tossing it on the floor with the towel. "It's rude to eavesdrop." He walked into his closet. "How are you feeling? Arnold came out of the closet with two towels, a wash cloth and a robe. He laid the items at the foot of the bed, then sat down beside her.

"Fine, but my head is killing me? Helga opened her eyes to a shirtless Arnold. She could see more of the damage that his body had encountered. She brought her hand from under the blanket, reached over and touched his torso. Arnold jumped slightly at her touch.

"Sorry, ticklish." Arnold said.

Helga couldn't help but laugh at the irony of his comment. "Hardcore soldier boy is ticklish." She continued to trace her fingers over the multiple scars on his body. His entire torso was covered with both small and large cuts. She stopped when she noticed the fresh scars that were on his arm. The new scars looked deep and painful. "What happened?"

"You were having a nightmare." He said. "The grip that you had on my arm woke me. You were crying and whispering for someone to stop."

Her look of shock turned into a look of shame. "I guess you figured things out." At that point, Helga wished she could leave, but her head was hurting too much. She was so embarrassed. Thinking about that night always made her feel vulnerable and violated. Years passed before Helga let another man touch her.

"Yes." Arnold said. "I am sorry, you had to go through that." Arnold didn't know if she heard him, she was intently analyzing his scars. If she didn't want to talk about it. She didn't have too.

"Thank you, Arnold. It took a while, but I got over it. Last night was the first time I thought about that night in over 10 years. Seeing him sparked it." Helga wasn't trying to make light of such a serious situation, but she didn't like talking about that subject, at all. "Thank you for taking care of me." She continued explore his body with her hand as she spoke. Her hand stopped at an odd circle shaped scar on his abdomen. "Is that…?"

"Yep, the third gunshot wound. It went in front and came out the back." Arnold stood up and turned around. "I don't know the caliber, but it did some damage."

Helga sat up on the bed, looking at Arnold's back. It was not hard to fine the exit wound. It was extremely close to his spine, and very large. Helga started looking at the tattoo that covered Arnold's entire back. An angel wing and a demon wing. There was also a skeletal spine drawn down the center of his actual spine. "What's with the spine outline?"

Actually it's a tail. Arnold said. "A skeletal tail with a halo hanging on it. That part goes below the belt..."

"Ah." Helga wanted to see, but decided against it. "So what happened last night? I don't remember anything after the restaurant."

"You drank too much too fast." Arnold said, sitting down beside her. "You wanted to tell me what happened between you and Wolfgang. He gently grabbed Helga's hand. "I told you not to do that while under the influence."

"And you ended up knowing it anyway." Helga sighed.

"Yes, I did. Before anything happened, I started telling you about the convent. You fell asleep a few minutes later." Arnold said. "Please, lay back down." He lightly pushed Helga back down onto the bed. "I am going to get you something for your headache, then take a shower. Arnold got up and left the room. He returned with a bottle of night time aspirin and a bottle of water. "Take two of these." He kissed her on the forehead and went into the bathroom.

Helga took two of the pills, then laid back down. "He literally tucked me into HIS bed." She wished her nine year old self could see all of this. The shower started. Her thoughts were wandered to the image of Arnold in the shower. "Calm down girl."

Arnold took his time in the bathroom. He figured Helga could use some more rest. The hangover from drinking "truth serum" was a painful one. He walked into his room after his shower routine to find that Helga had fell asleep. She was snuggled in the covers on his side of the bed. He walked into his closet to get dressed.

Once dressed, he went to Izzy's room to check on the girls. It was 8 a.m. on a Saturday, so he didn't expect to either girl to be awake. He opened the door to see that Elise was up. The television wasn't on and she was just sitting on the couch. "Hey sweetie, everything ok?" He asked.

"Not really." Elise said.

"Come with me." Arnold said. They walked down to the kitchen. He filled up a kettle with water and placed it on the stove to heat up. He grabbed three boxes of tea from the cupboard. "Do you know how to properly make a cup of tea?" Elise shook her head. "My grandmother taught me. She and I used to wake up at four in the morning every day and have a cup together. Sometimes she and I would talk about different things and sometimes we would not say anything at all." Arnold hoped that Elise caught the hint he was throwing out. "When she died, I started doing it with my second mom, Susie. I was only a year younger than you when we started this tradition. He sat down at the table with Elise."

"Do you do this with Izzy?" Elise asked.

"No. I don't think she would be into it. Arnold said. "Her interest are more towards the martial arts."

"I agree, this doesn't really fit Izzy." Elise said, smiling. "I would enjoy learning about it though."

"I have wanted to share this tradition with someone." Arnold said. The kettle whistled letting him know the water was ready. He brought the kettle to the table and poured water into a tea pot. "I do miss doing this. We can do this together whenever you stay over. You know, have our own tradition."

Elise's eyes became wide. "Really?" She liked the idea of her and Arnold having their own thing, even if it was only when she stayed over.

"Yes, really. Now, which tea would you like to try?" Arnold placed three boxes in front her.

"What tea did you have the first time you did this?" She was nervous about picking the wrong tea flavor.

"The first time we did this I had green tea." Arnold said, holding up the box. "My grandmother drank jasmine."

"Let's drink Jasmine in honor of your grandmother." Elise hoped the gesture would make Arnold happy.

Arnold couldn't help but smile at the girl. "I wish you could be my daughter." He made them both a cup of jasmine tea. Before he could ask her if she would like to her tea with sugar or milk, Elise said something unexpected.

"You could adopt me if you want." Elise said. "My mother said she doesn't want me."

"Hold on. Wait…what? Arnold didn't know which part of her sentence surprised him the most. "What would make you say something like that Elise? The young girl's facial expression told him that his words may have come out the wrong way. He didn't want her to go on the defensive. Arnold walked over to Elise grabbing one of her hands. "I'm sorry sweetie. Your comment surprised me. Please explain."

"You remember the day we went to the water park. Elise said, sadness could be heard in her voice. She didn't want to relive those events for a third time. "That night, my mom came home with a friend. They were talking about my father and about me. I stayed at the top of the stairs and listened to the entire conversation."

Arnold raised an eyebrow. "What did they say about your father?'

"That he was a bad man and hurt a lot of women." She said. "I confirmed it on the internet, he killed 15 women that looked like my mom. He was executed on the night I heard all of this."

If Elise looked up her father on the internet, there was the chance that she learned everything about his murder spree. Curly's trial was exactly a secret. Rather than to lie, Arnold decided to change the subject. "You said they were talking about you too."

"Yes." Elise began crying. My mom said that I was a mistake. She said she would have given me up for adoption, but no one would want me if they knew who my father was." Tears were streaming down the girls face.

Arnold's heart broke for the little girl in front of him. He picked her up and sat her on his lap, letting the Elise cry on his shoulder. He waited a few minutes before he spoke. "I know who your real father is and if I could, I would adopt you." Arnold handed the girl a napkin to dry her tears.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Elise said.

"You don't believe me? Arnold said." At that moment an idea popped into his head. "Will you do me a favor?"

"Sure." Elise said, wiping her eyes with the napkin.

"Go upstairs and watch television." He said. "I am going to run a quick errand."

What about tea? She didn't understanding exactly what was going on. She got off his lap. Arnold walked her upstairs to Izzy's room. Elise turned on the television and plopped down on the couch.

"Elise." Arnold said. He could tell that he may have added to her feelings of disappointment.

"Yes." She said without looking at him.

"I promise when I get back, we will have tea." Arnold left the room and went to his own. Helga was still asleep. Arnold grabbed his cellphone and keys then left the house.

**Lloyd Wellington Residence**

Knock. Knock. Knock. Ms. Lloyd. You have a visitor.

"Who the hell is it James?" Rhonda yelled. She looked at her watch. It was only nine in the morning and she was still drunk from the party that ended a few hours earlier. Usually the coke kept her going but she ran out around midnight and wasn't able to get more. So she drank alcohol and chased it with energy drinks. It worked for a while, then the alcohol got the best of her. She made everyone leave and crashed around five.

"It's Mr. Shortman ma'am." James said through the door.

"Tell him I said thanks for keeping the girl." She said.

"He does not have her with him Ms. Lloyd. He said. "Mr. Shortman wants to talk to you about Ms. Elise."

"God dammit." Rhonda said into her pillow. "I hope the little bitch isn't hurt or something. I don't feel like acting like I give a shit." Rhonda got up and walked to the door. The light buzz that she thought she had laying down became heavy when she stood up. She decided to sober herself up before talking to Arnold. "James, make him comfortable. Tell him I will be down in twenty minutes."

"Yes. Ms. Lloyd. Footsteps could be heard walking away from the door.

Rhonda wobbled into her bathroom, stripped then got into her shower. She cut on the water to it coldest setting and let it hit her naked body. She instantly felt awake and sober.

"Ms. Lloyd will be down momentarily. You can wait in the in the sitting room." The butler escorted Arnold to the sitting room. "Can I get you anything sir?"

"No thank you." This was the only room in the house that Arnold has ever seen. As much as Rhonda bragged about her lavish lifestyle, he figured he would have gotten a tour. Everything in the room was white, including the carpet. Arnold sat down on the plush love seat and waited for Rhonda. Since Rhonda would probably take a while, Arnold devised a method for his goal.

Twenty minute passed before Rhonda finally appeared. "Hello Arnold." Rhonda walked into the sitting room in a pair of white shorts and a blue spaghetti strap shirt. She sat down on the chase lounge across from Arnold. "James said you wanted to talk to me about Elise."

"Yes. It's about something she said to me this morning. It bothered me, and I wanted see if there was any truth to it."

"She didn't tell you that one of my friends tried to touch her inappropriately, did she?" Rhonda said. "I checked into it and he said he didn't do anything to her. It was a lie to get attention."

Arnold's blood went hot. He knew Elise wouldn't lie about something like that. He made a mental note to talk to Elise about that accusation later. "Was she lying when she said you called her a mistake?" The expression on Rhonda's face was all the proof he needed. Pure shock. Elise was telling the truth.

"Yes, I said she was a mistake Arnold. I meant it then and I mean it now." Rhonda said angrily. "How did she know I said that? What other private conversations has the little brat been eavesdropping on?"

"I'm just going off of what she said to me this morning." Arnold could sense Rhonda's resentment towards Elise. She had no love for the girl at all. Elise was a wonderful girl. Any parent would be proud to have a daughter like her. "She also said that you wanted to give her up for adoption. Is there any truth to that?"

The truth bombs that Arnold was dropping were giving Rhonda the assumption that Elise was telling Arnold a lot about the things that happen in her house. Rhonda didn't know how much Arnold knew, so she saw no point in lying. "Yes, I said that too. What, are you here to tell me how horrible of a mother I am?"

"No. I came to ask if you were serious about giving her up for adoption." Arnold said.

"If anyone would take her I would." Rhonda said. "I am not the mothering type. I only had her because I am against abortions. But seeing as she is the daughter of a serial killer, I doubt anyone would want her."

Arnold decided to end this before he did something drastic. He would never hurt a woman, but the way that Rhonda was talking about Elise was making him angry. "What if I said I would take her?" His question had gotten her full attention.

Rhonda look at Arnold surprised. "What are you saying?" This was too good to be true.

"I am saying that if you don't want her, I will take her." Arnold said.

"Are you serious?" There was always a catch with a deal this good. "What's your angel?"

"Yes, I am serious and there is no angle." Arnold said. "You give full custody of Elise to me. No child support, no visits, nothing. You live your life the way you want, and Elise becomes my daughter. It's that simple."

Rhonda became quiet for a moment, thinking about his deal. People would ask what happened to her daughter. She would have to figure out a way to explain the girl's absence. She was not going to give up her chance to be free. After a few minutes of silence she finally spoke. "Fuck it. You can have her." She waved her hand like she was dismissing a servant.

"I am going need that in writing." Arnold said. He was surprised that it was that easy. He probably could have skipped the whole conversation and just asked for custody from the beginning. That didn't matter now, he got what he wanted. "We can get our lawyers together Monday and iron out all the details."

"James." Rhonda called out to her butler. "Would you please bring me some paper and a pen?" Once James provided Rhonda with the items she asked for, she wrote out a quick note. "Please stay here, we will need you." The butler followed his orders.

_I Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd give full guardianship of Elise Wellington-Lloyd to Arnold Phillip Shortman until the process for full adoption can be completed._

Rhonda signed her name at the bottom of the paper. Would you please sign this? Arnold reached over and signed his name on the bottom of the document.

"James would you please sign this as a witness." Rhonda said. The way she was acting, one would think that she had just given away something trivial. James signed the document. Rhonda handed the document to Arnold.

"There you go." Rhonda said. "She is all yours."

"I will take my leave then." Arnold said. He stood up and walked towards the front door. Rhonda spoke as he walked out of the door.

"You do realize that she may end up being a killer like her father." Rhonda said from the sitting room. "I have heard things like that are hereditary."

Rather than saying something insulting, Arnold ended the conversation on a good note. His mission was accomplished, there was no reason to be disrespectful. "She won't be. He walked out of the house, happy that he just changed Elise's life for the better. He hoped that she would feel the same way.

**Shortman Residence**

"Where do you think my father went?" Izzy asked. "He usually doesn't leave without telling me where he was going."

"I don't know sweetie." Helga said. "Hopefully he will be back soon." She was cooking breakfast for the girls and herself. She wasn't a whiz in the kitchen, but she could cook simple things. The kitchen smelled of bacon and eggs. Helga felt at home in Arnold's kitchen. Hell, she felt at home in Arnold's house.

"He said he was going out to run an errand." Elise said. "I did what you said and talked to him. After he heard what I said, he left."

"Talked to him about what?" Helga sat a plate of bacon and eggs in front of each girl.

Elise and Izzy looked at each other. "You can trust Ms. Helga." Izzy said, nodding to her best friend. "I do"

Helga smiled at Izzy. She liked the fact the Izzy trusted her. She grabbed a plate and sat down at the table with the two girls.

Elise was still nervous, but decided to trust in her best friend. "I told him about the things that my mom said about me. She said that I was a mistake and that she would give me away if she could."

Helga almost choked on the piece of bacon that she was eating. "Only Rhonda would say something that horrible." She thought to herself. She thought about the irony of her comment. Her parents weren't any better. She felt sorry for Elise, but also understood her. "I understand how you feel."

"You aren't just saying that are you?" Elise said.

"No I am not." My parents didn't pay attention to me either. She took a bite of her food. "They only cared about my older sister."

Before the girls could say anything Arnold walked in the door while they were talking. "Hello...Girls, I'm back. I have some great news!" He walked into the kitchen. Seeing all the women that he loved one place would make telling his news better.

"What's going on dad?" Izzy asked.

"Well, I just went to see Elise's mother. Arnold said. "I have some good news for you girls. Before I tell you, Helga I need you to do something for me. Can we talk privately for a second?"

"Sure." Helga stood from the table and walked over to Arnold. He grabbed her arm and led her into the living room. "What's up?"

I need you to take Elise up to my office and ask her something for me." Arnold whispered what he wanted to do and the code to his office in her ear.

"That bitch." Helga whispered. She walked back into the kitchen. "Elise, will you come with me for a second? I need to ask you something."

Elise nervously walked up to Helga. The two walked up stairs into Arnold's office. Once he heard the door close, walked into the kitchen to talk to Izzy.

"What going on Dad?" She asked while continuing to eat her breakfast.

Arnold decided to get straight to the point. "How would you like it if Elise stayed with us permanently?" Even though he was doing this for Elise, he wanted to get his daughter's opinion. It had only been the two of them for years, he wanted to make sure she was comfortable with his decision. Even though he already knew her answer.

"You mean forever." Izzy thought about it for less than a second. "I would love it. Is she coming to live with us?"

"Patience little one" Arnold kissed her on the forehead. "Helga and Elise returned to the kitchen. Elise sat back down at the table. She didn't say anything, just started eating her food. He knew what Helga asked Elise would embarrass her, but it had to be done. Arnold and Helga walked into the living room. "What did she say?

"She said that the guy tried to touch her inappropriately." Helga said angrily. "She used one of the moves that she saw you teach Izzy and he left."

"What did she do?" Arnold asked.

"She kicked him in the nuts, ran out her room and hid. After that night she started locking her room door when Rhonda had people over." Helga. "I can't believe that she didn't believe her. On second thought, yes I can. Rhonda is nothing but a self-centered, hoity-toity...

Arnold interrupted her. "Has it happened more than once?"

"No, and I believe her." Helga said. "Arnold, what the hell is going on?"

Arnold grabbed Helga's hand and led her back into the kitchen. "Ok girls, on to the good news. Elise, how would you like to come live with me and Izzy?

I would love to live with you and Izzy." Elise said. "What about my mom?

"After our conversation this morning, I had to see for myself." Arnold said. "I don't want you to think that I didn't believe you, I just had to hear it from her mouth."

"What did she say?" Elise said.

"Long story short, if you want, you can be my daughter." Arnold said. The room became quiet. He was curious as how she would take the news.

"You mean this would be my home?" Elise said. "A-and you would be my father?

Arnold walked over to Elise, he got on one knee so that he could be face to face with the girl. "Yes, you would become part of my family."

Elise jumped up from her seat and hugged Arnold. "I would love that."

"Well as of this morning. Your wish has been granted." Arnold said embracing his new daughter. "You are now a member of the Shortman family. "Once all the paper work is done you can even change your last name if you want."

"I can be a Shortman! Elise broke the hug from her new father. "Where will I sleep?" I love Izzy's room but I don't want to sleep a couch all the time." Elise said.

"There are two suites that usually go unused. Choose which ever one you want, and we will decorate it any way you want." Arnold had given Izzy creative oversight in her room, and he would do that same for Elise. He was a father of two, he couldn't play favorites.

Izzy stood up and joined the embrace of her now extended family. "Choose Grandma Susie's room. It's closer to mine. I can't believe it. I have a sister!"

Helga wiped a tear from her eye. She was happy for all three members of the Shortman family. She was also a little jealous. Out of all the father-daughter moments she had seen since Arnold came back into her life, she wished that she could be a part of this one.

"Let's go choose a room." Izzy said excitedly. She grabbed her new sister's arm and the two girls ran out of the kitchen. "I have all sorts of magazine that we can to look at to choose how you want your room to look. Arnold and Helga followed the girls upstairs. They stood in the hallway watching the girls run up to Izzy's room talking excitedly about design ideas.

"Why did you do this?" Helga said. They were at the base of the stairs leading to Izzy's room.

"Because no child should have to grow up the way that we did. Arnold said. He turned and looked at Helga.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Helga said. She was somewhat offended at his words. She didn't think that Arnold knew anything about her life growing up.

"My parents died trying to help people. Your parents were negligent. Izzy's mom died because of a drug dealer's aspirations." Arnold said. "We both grew up alone in more ways than one. I don't want that to happen to Izzy or Elise. "They deserve better and I will give them better. Even though, it would be nice to have someone helping me. They could use some feminine influence."

What are you saying Arnold?" Helga asked.

Without blinking an eye Arnold spoke. "You can be a part of this too, if you want."

Helga stood silent for a minute. She grabbed Arnold's hand and led him to his bedroom door. "What's the code to your room?"

"What?" Arnold said.

"What is the code to you bedroom." She said again.

"0325" Arnold said.

Helga quickly realized the significant of the numbers. Helga paused. "Your code to my bedroom is MY birthday?"

"Yes" Arnold said nervously. It was the first number I thought of when I programmed the keypad.

Helga typed in the code and opened the door. She grabbed Arnold's shirt and yanked him into his bedroom.

**Chapter 8 completed. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading. Please read and review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Hey Arnold.**

**Chapter 9-Too Much to Handle**

**Shortman Residence **

"What kind of news do you think he has for us?" Phoebe, Gerald and the twins were sitting with Helga in Arnold's dining room. Arnold hadn't been around a lot in the past month. When they would question Helga about what he was up to, she would just say that he was working on a big project and that he would tell when he was ready. That day was today. Arnold contacted Phoebe and Gerald earlier that day and invited them and the twins to dinner that night. He also contacted Susie and Derrick and requested their presence.

"I don't know babe." Gerald said. "It must be big if invited everyone over on a Friday night and had dinner catered. Susie, do have any idea what your son is up to?" Gerald looked over to Susie and her husband Derrick.

"I have no idea Gerald." Susie said shrugging her shoulders. "You know how Arnold is. There is only one person in this room that probably knows what he has been up too." She looked at Helga. "How are things going between you two anyway?" Susie remembered Arnold saying that as child that the girl she was currently looking at made his life a living hell. She didn't know how she felt about Helga yet. She was giving her the benefit of the doubt because Izzy spoke so highly of her.

"It has only been a month." Helga hesitantly. "We haven't even put a title on our relationship." Helga and Arnold had only been intimate once. After that night she decided they needed to take things slow. Mainly because Arnold would be spending a lot of time working on the adoption of Elise. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with Arnold, but he was a father of two now. Helga loved Izzy and Elise, but she didn't know how she felt about instantly becoming a mother figure to two young girls. She had another reason but, she wasn't ready to talk about it yet. "This current endeavor has taken up a lot of his time. I haven't gotten to see him that much either."

"Ahem?" Arnold was standing at the entrance of the dining room with Izzy and Elise holding his hands. Arnold. Izzy walked over to the twins and sat down with them. She already knew what was going on and was sworn to secrecy by her father. It was hard to contain her excitement, but she kept a straight face. With Elise's hand in his he walked to the head of the table. "Okay, first let me apologize for being so distant the past month." He brought Elise in front of him and placed his hands on her shoulders. She admitted upstairs that she was nervous. She was afraid of his family not accepting her as one of their own. "I was working on a very important task. I didn't want any off you to know about it until everything was completed."

"What was this task?" Gerald said.

"You all know Elise correct? Everyone at the table nodded. "She was that task."

"What are you talking about Arnold?" Susie said.

Arnold walked the young girl over to Susie. "Mom, Derrick as of this afternoon, I would like to introduce you to your new granddaughter, Stella Elise Shortman. Phoebe and Gerald, meet your new niece. Asami and Sakura, meet your new cousin." The room became as silent as a grave yard.

Elise tightened he grip on Arnold's hand when every pair of eyes in the room focused on her. She looked up to her father. "Dad?"

Susie looked at the girl in front of her. "Oh my…Arnold." She was at a loss for words. She put her hands on the girl's face. "I'm Susie, you can call me Grandma if you want." Susie got one knee and hugged the girl. "Welcome to the family." Everyone else got up from the table to introduce themselves to their newest family member.

"Arnold?" Phoebe walked up to Arnold. "Can I speak with you privately for a moment? The two adults left the room. Elise was answering questions about herself to everyone. Once they were in the living room Phoebe asked the most obvious question. "What made you adopt Rhonda's daughter?"

"Rhonda wanted her freedom. I gave it to her." He hated it when Phoebe would constantly give him the third degree about his decisions. "Please, don't act like you didn't know how Rhonda felt about her daughter."

Phoebe knew that he was right. Rhonda hardly paid any attention to the girl at all. Not to mention some of her other habits that Phoebe didn't care for. "Can you handle another child?" She had a look of worry on her face. "Did you even think about what you were doing before you made this decision?"

"Rhonda openly admitted that she didn't want her. You think I would leave a child in an environment like that. It was the right things to do Phoebe. Can't you just celebrate this moment happily with the rest of us?" He walked her over to the entryway of the living room. "Look at her." He pointed across to where Elise was. The girl was practically glowing with happiness. "She deserves a good family."

Phoebe looked at the little girl that was being openly accepted by people who were strangers to her minutes ago. She smiled at the girl. "She does. I'm sorry Arnold."

"It's ok Pheebs." Arnold put his arm around her shoulder. They walked back in to the dining room and joined everyone.

Gerald walked up to Arnold and slapped him on the back. "She gave you the third degree, didn't she?"

"Of course. Doesn't she always?" Arnold said sarcastically.

"Don't sweat it man. Her heart is in the right place." Gerald understood that his wife could be a bit of a pessimist when it came to Arnold. Sometimes it caused her to miss out on the beauty in things, like the event happening in front of them. "Now we both have two girls. What are we going to do when they start dating?"

"I don't know what you are going to do." Both Arnold and Gerald started laughing. "But, I have a cache of guns in my basement. I'm covered." Arnold walked back to the head of the table. "Alright everyone let's eat." There was a small buffet set up in the dining room. Arnold fixed plates for Elise and Izzy, while Gerald made plates for Asami and Sakura. Once the children were fed the adults were allowed to eat. Conversation during the meal focused on the new member of the family. Arnold never second guessed that they would instantly love her. Hell, he did.

Once dinner ended, the girls went upstairs while the adults stayed in the dining room and conversated over drinks. Derrick and Susie had left since they did have a drive back to their home of the outskirts of Hillwood. Before they left, they made Arnold promise to have the girls visit them soon.

They hadn't been around each other for a few days so Helga made it a point to sit near Arnold. She was currently playing with his fingers under the table. She wasn't embarrassed about her and Arnold's relationship, she just wasn't the type that showed affection publicly. Arnold couldn't help but feel something was wrong with her. He could sense that something was off. Actually, she had been that way for a little over two weeks. He decided that he would talk to her later.

So Arnold, are you going to show Elise "the compound?" Gerald took a sip of whiskey. He added finger quotes to the last two words. It was the nickname of the physical location of Arnold's place of work. Gerald and Izzy were on only people that he had taken there. It wasn't that it was a secret. It was a two hour drive out of Hillwood.

"I thought you worked at home." Helga said. In that moment she realized something. She had no idea what Arnold did for a living. She figured that was something that she should know that about him. "It's not another secret is it?" She thought they had at least made it pass that stage.

Arnold laughed. "Yes, I do work from home, and no it's not a secret. I only go to "the compound" if needed. Realizing that he never really talked to Helga about work, he knew how to rectify the situation. "We can go tomorrow if you want."

"Sure." Helga said. "But, why do you call it "the compound?"

"It's the name my employees and clientele gave it, and because of its location. He said nonchalantly. Gerald has just started a full blown interrogation.

"Yeah." Gerald said. "You drive in the woods for three miles, then it opens to a small hidden city. Go ahead man, tell her what you do for a living."

Arnold didn't understand why Gerald brought up this subject. He had his reasons for why he didn't talk about the work that he did. He realized that he might need to cut Gerald off on the whiskey. He hadn't paid attention to how much his friend had drank. He did know what stage he was reaching though. "Phoebe you might want to go make Gerald some coffee. Phoebe got up and walked into the kitchen. "I am not letting any of you drink anymore of my whiskey." He sighed when Gerald laid his head on the table.

Very interested in the current subject, Helga repeated Gerald's question. "What exactly do you do?" She slid her chair closer to him.

"I am the CEO and a hand to hand combat instructor at the Shortman Tactical Training Facility. Or "the compound" for short. We train the police, military, and even federal agencies for issues they face in different environments. I have four different facilities in the country. Each one for a specific environment, jungle, artic, desert, and urban. The facility near here are for urban scenarios."

"CEO and a instructor?" You must make a hell of a paycheck. Helga didn't care about how much money he had, but she was curious none the less. "Do you mind me asking…?"

"Nine zeros." Arnold answered before she could finished. He then reached over and closed her open mouth.

"Shouldn't you be on some most eligible bachelor list or in Forbes? You are filthy rich and practically unknown. How is that possible?" All this information was really bothering her. She really didn't know if she should be mad or not at this information. If anything she was confused. How could he not tell her something like that.

Phoebe walked back in the room as they were talking. "Arnold's company is privately owned and operated. Because of the nature of his work and his clientele, its best that he stays out of the public eye." She handed her half asleep husband a cup of coffee. The hot liquid shot through his system instantly, bringing him back to the land of the living. "Are you ok Gerald."

"Yeah, I am fine." Gerald drank the rest of the coffee in one gulp. "But, I think it's time for us to go and give the lovebirds some space. Learning your man is an underground billionaire must be a lot to take in." Gerald laughed.

"I concur. This seems to be something of a private matter. I will go get the girls and you go get in the car." Phoebe left the room and walked up stairs.

"I'm going help Gerald out to the car." Arnold said, looking at Helga. "Are you going to be ok?"

"I just need to think for a second." Helga said. Honestly, she felt like she was going to be sick. She knew absolutely nothing about Arnold. "I am going to help Phoebe with the girls." Helga got up and ran from the room.

Arnold helped a stumbling Gerald out to his car. Once they were in the garage. Gerald immediately straightened up, sober as a judge. "I am not drunk, man. It was just an act. I figured you wouldn't get pissed if a drunken me got you tell Helga about your life. I can tell that she still knows nothing about you."

Arnold couldn't be mad at Gerald because he was right. Even though the adoption of Elise had taken up most of his time over the past month, the time that he did spend with Helga would be spent talking about her or the girls. When the subject of his life came up, his answers would be truthful but unspecific. "You didn't have to play drunk, you could have just said it. Not to mention half the things that have happened in my life I can't talk about anyway."

Gerald understood that he best friend spent most of his adult years under a veil of secrecy. "I get that man, but you need to let her know more stuff about you. That whole five questions game isn't going to cut if. It you want her to come back to you, you have to let down your walls." Realizing what he just said, Gerald became silent. Arnold turned to see Helga and Phoebe standing at the door. Gerald wished that he was drunk at that moment.

**Upstairs/Living Room**

The twins feel asleep watching a movie in Izzy's room. Helga and Phoebe were both carrying one of the sleeping twins downstairs. Rather than wake them up and have them be up the rest of the night. They decided to just carry them. Helga hadn't spoken since she came upstairs.

"Why didn't you tell me Pheebs?" Helga whispered. She didn't want to accidentally wake up the girls or for the other two to hear their conversation.

"After I told you the certain things, I didn't expect anything to happen between you two." Phoebe was referring to the incident in San Lorenzo. They reached the dining room. Phoebe wanted to finish this conversation quickly and go home. "Once things did start happening, I figured he would tell you things about his life. Maybe not the "I'm a billionaire" part but as least what he did for a living." They walked towards the door that led to the garage. Before opening the door, Phoebe ended the conversation. "Isn't there something you aren't tell him? She opened the door to see Arnold and Gerald staring at each other. Arnold turned and looked at the two women. Phoebe and Helga placed the girls into Gerald's SUV. Breaking the silence she spoke again. "Arnold congratulations on the new addition to your family. Helga call me tomorrow. Gerald will you please get in the car, I am ready to go."

Gerald got in the SUV and look at Arnold. He quickly jerked his head in Helga's direction then spoke. Call you tomorrow man. Let's go babe." They pulled out of Arnold's garage and into the street. A few seconds later, it was just Arnold and Helga.

"We need to talk." She walked in to the house.

After a few seconds he followed. He found Helga sitting in the living room. She looked sad about something. Arnold assumed that it had something to do with the final words Gerald said before Phoebe and Helga entered the Garage. If Helga and Phoebe hadn't walked in that exact moment he would have asked what he was talking about? After thinking about it for a few seconds he figured it out. Helga was leaving. Arnold stood in the entry way of the living room. "What city are you going too?"

"God Dammit Gerald." She said. "Houston, Texas"

"Don't get mad at Gerald. It was an accident. He was trying to explain to me how I should open up to you more often. Arnold sat down on the couch with her. Normally he would sit closer but he already knew how tonight was going to end. Whatever they had was over. "When do you leave?"

"Let's cut the pleasantries Arnold." Helga sat up straight on the couch. "Listen, I like for my life to be simple. You having one daughter didn't bother me. Hell, even adding Elise to your family made me want to be a part of it. But you, you are so complex. Every time I think I understand something about you, I am wrong. There are so many simple things that I don't know about you and we have been around each other for months now. You didn't think it would be surprise me to learn that on top off all other things you can do and have done, that you are the CEO of a billion dollar corporation that trains the military.

"I'm sorry if you have issues with the things in my life that I prefer to keep private, but that is how my life is." He said. "Private."

"But Phoebe and Gerald know so much." She looked at him. "I want to know those things too."

Even though this was supposed to be a serious conversation, Arnold started laughing. "They don't know a lot. Trust me when I say, they don't half as much as they think they do. It's not a lie if I leave out details." It was true. For their safety, Arnold kept a lot of things about his life on a very tight leash.

Well, what if we became serious? What if I wanted to get married? I would never truly know the man in front of me. There would always be another secret."

"True."

"So you understand why I can't do this, right?"

"I do." Arnold face was expressionless. Part of him wanted to be hurt, but she made a good point. Not to mention she was also leaving. After the incident in San Lorenzo he created as set of rules for himself to live by. The first two were the most important, as they were the ones used on a daily basis. Number one was to never break the rules. Number two was to always listen to logic and reason. Helga's argument made perfect sense. He understood that she could be saying all of this to get a reaction out of him, but that wasn't who he was. If this was what she wanted, he would give it to her.

Realizing there was nothing else to be said, Helga got up and walked towards the front door. "See you around Arnold."

Arnold turned to her and smiled. "Bye Helga."

**H. Pataki Residence**

Helga walked out of the house and closed the door. She walked to the bottom of the steps when she heard the door lock. She got into her car and drove to her apartment. She walked inside and went straight to her closet. She pulled out an old shoe box and opened it, examining the contents within. She walked out of the closet and into the kitchen. She opened the lid to the trash can and dropped the box inside. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and went into her contacts. She found Arnold's information and deleted it. Accessing her pictures, she went to the file containing several pictures of Arnold, Izzy and Elise, then deleted all of them. Only one word came out of her mouth during this process. "Simplicity."

**There you are everyone. Please read and review. **


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Hey Arnold.**

**Chapter 10-Understand My Life**

**Shortman Residence**

Arnold was sitting in the kitchen having a cup of tea, letting his thoughts wonder. It was close to six in the morning, Elise and Izzy were still asleep. He had woken up earlier than usual, so he decided to work out and go for a long run. Other than having another daughter, life was back to normal for Arnold. Phoebe and Gerald constantly tried to get him to admit that he missed Helga. He wasn't going to lie to appease them. He cared deeply for Helga, but he wouldn't allow himself to miss her. Losing so many people in his lifetime hardened his resolve when it came to attachment. If someone in his life wanted to leave, he would let them. They said that he should have fought harder for her. If she couldn't accept how his life "had" to be, then there was nothing to fight for. That comment started one of the biggest fights the trio ever had. He was happy that none of their children were around when it happened.

_(Flash back/One week after Helga left Hillwood)_

_"You broke her heart you know."_

_"That was not my intention. Even if your husband hadn't executed plan "tell her that he's rich", things would have still ended. She said that I am too complex. She couldn't handle the fact that things in my life are and will always be on a tight leash._

_"Let's see, you are Special Forces sniper, trained in several forms of martial arts with a genius level intellect. I am going to go out on a limb and say you have probably killed over a hundred people, to include a notorious drug lord in South America. Oh, let's not forget the best part, you're a billionaire with serious trust issues and an arsenal in his basement. I can see how she would say that."_

_"Gerald, this is not a joke. Seriously Arnold, she was really hurt that you just let her go."_

_"So I am supposed to chase someone that didn't agree with the way I live my life?" I am supposed to change the way I "have" to live in order to appease her?"_

_"I'm not saying that."_

_"Then what are you saying Phoebe."_

_"I'm saying..."_

_"Exactly! You don't know what you are saying. My life is private for a reason. My professional life is private because it has to be that way. Not that either of you could understand that. You haven't lived my life."_

_"We understand Arnold, it's just..._

_"NO! You don't understand. I trust you two because you have stuck by me my entire life. My company was built on a foundation of secrecy. You two are husband and wife, you can share everything. I do not have that luxury. And you know why that is?_

_Why?_

_"Because most of the things I have done in my personal life would land me in jail. As for my job, talking about it would be considered an act of treason against the United States government. You do know what the punishment for treason is right?"_

_"Death."_

_"Exactly. Not to mention I have committed more war crimes than I care to count. So if you think for a second that I will risk my own life or freedom for a woman that can't handle who I am, you are wrong. I will only take that risk for my daughters._

_"Damn Arnold. Did you care about her at all?"_

_"Are you fucking kidding me Gerald? Of course I did. I let Phoebe tell her my darkest secret. I openly let Izzy get close to her. And because I cared, I let her leave. You think it was easy for me?"_

_(End Flashback)_

"Dad." A sleepy voice brought Arnold out of his thoughts. "Are you ok?"

Arnold looked up to see Elise staring at him through one eye while rubbing the sleep from the other. "Yes, sweetie. What are you doing up so early?"

"I went to sleep early last night, hoping to have tea with you this morning." Elise walked up to the table in the kitchen and sat down. "Things have been so busy lately that you haven't had the time to properly teach me about tea." It was true, after the adoption and the fall out with Helga, there wasn't really time to build a tradition with Elise.

"I will make a new pot." Arnold got up from the table with the teapot. He washed the teapot and filled the kettle with water. He placed the kettle on the stove then cut on the heat to boil the water. "What kind would you like to try?"

"Jasmine, just like the first time. Elise picked up a tea cup and saucer from the center of the table. She sat it in front her, mimicking her father. She was excited that they were finally able to do this.

Once the water was ready, Arnold showed Elise the proper way to make a cup of tea. Elise decided that she liked her jasmine tea with just sugar and a hint of lemon. Arnold told her that they would taste a different teas as their tradition evolved. On their second cup of tea, Elise asked a question that Arnold wasn't ready to answer. He knew the answer might break the girl's heart.

"Dad, can I ask you something? Elise took a sip of her perfected cup of jasmine tea.

"Sure Elise. You can ask me anything."

"Do you miss Ms. Helga?" Elise took a sip of her tea. "I know you said she had to leave for work, but I thought you two were getting close?"

"We were. But Ms. Helga also had issues with me." Arnold didn't exactly know how he would explain this to Elise. He was all about honesty with the girls, just not at the sake of their innocence.

"What do you mean? You are awesome."

Arnold smiled at this comment. Even though Elise had officially been his daughter for two months, she bragged to everyone that she had a "cool dad." "She thought that I was too complex. Does that make any since?"

Elise looked at her father curiously. "Not really."

Before Arnold could speak, Izzy walked into the kitchen. "She didn't like the fact that our dad doesn't talk about his job or his life. And the things that she did figure out, she couldn't handle." Izzy was very angry with Helga. When she tried to call and say goodbye to her, Helga wouldn't answer the phone. Izzy tried calling several times but never got an answer. At first she was hurt. That hurt eventually became resentment. Izzy sat down at the table with Arnold and Elise. "Morning Dad, morning sis."

Impressed as always by the bluntness of his younger daughter Arnold spoke. "Basically, what she said. Good morning Izzy." Arnold knew Izzy was still mad at Helga. Usually she was a very forgiving person, but Helga ignoring her really hurt her feelings. There was no way he could spin that to make it positive.

"Hey sis." Elise thought about what her sister just said. She didn't know a lot about new father either. Most of what she did know, she learned from Izzy, and the photo albums in the house. Arnold had told her some stories about his past, and she figured she would learn more at time went on. "I don't know a lot about dad either, but all adults have things they don't like to talk about, right? I mean, there are going to be things that you won't tell us, aren't there?"

"Yes. There things that I am not going to tell you until you're older, and there are things that I will never tell you. Everyone is entitled to their privacy. That includes you girls too." Arnold looked at his daughters and smiled. Both girls were entirely too mature for their age. "You don't have to tell me everything, but know that you can tell me anything. Understand?"

"Yes dad." Both girls said in unison.

"I am going to make you girls some breakfast. Pancakes ok? Arnold got up from the table, grabbed the things he need, and started cooking breakfast for his children.

**Houston Texas**

Helga was sitting in a bar in near the apartment that she was living in during the construction of the new store. She was sipping on an appletini watching the people around her. It was something she did in every city that she visited. People watching was a great way to see how different, but at the same time how identical people are. It relaxed her.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

Helga hadn't even noticed the guy come up beside her. He had the stereotypical cowboy look, flannel shirt, jeans and cowboy boots. He was handsome, but Helga didn't really want company. The day had been long, and tiresome. She just wanted to relax.

"No thank you." She said to the man. "I don't let guys buy me drinks. Thank you for the offer though." The man tipped his hat to her and walked off. After the incident with Wolfgang, she never let men buy her drinks. She wouldn't even accept them if they were brought by a waiter. She knew she was being overly cautious, but she really didn't care. "Damn you to hell" Helga whispered, thinking about the man that caused her to be this way.

After that night, Helga went to the hospital and reported what happened to her. The incident was reported to the cops. As it turned out, Wolfgang was currently under investigation for doing the same thing to two other girls. The girls distinctly remembered receiving a drink from Wolfgang and minutes later starting to feel weird. They remembered him being and gentlemen and helping them get home. After that, there were just scattered memories. Helga cried when the case was dismissed due to lack of evidence.

"Would you like another drink?" The bartender asked.

"Sure. Can I get a shot of whiskey with that?" The bartender started making her drinks. That memory made her want something stronger. Helga thought about Elise and Izzy. She really missed them. She pulled out her phone and went to the videos. This was the only memory she had left. It was a video of them at the water park. Lowering the volume on her phone, she played the video.

_(Video/Flashback)_

_Arnold walked into the pool with Elise on his back. She could swim, but she was afraid of deep water. Arnold told her that he would help her get over that fear. He then pointed over to Izzy, who was swimming around in the water like a fish. Once they were at a point where her feet couldn't touch the bottom, Arnold moved Elise around to face him. He held on to her waist and instructed her on how to tread water. After a few minutes of her practicing he let her go. She sunk a little, but her head stayed above water. Elise had gotten the hang of treading water easily. They swam together into deeper water and Arnold started treading with water with her to help build her confidence. After a few minutes of her treading in deep water, Elise hugged Arnold and swam off. Arnold swam out of the pool back to where he had been sitting earlier. He noticed Helga recording him._

_"Why are you recording me?" Arnold grabbed a towel and started drying himself off._

_"I had to catch one of those father-daughter moments on camera" She said. Helga stopped recording_

_(End Flashback)_

"I don't know what you saw in that guy." Olga took a seat beside Helga, taking her attention from the video. "You could do so much better. Not to mention he has kids."

"I don't want to talk about it Olga." Helga put her phone back in her purse. "He was a great guy."

"Look at all these hot guys in here. You can have any one of them and you are sitting here watching a guy play with his kid." Olga usually didn't come with Helga on builds. After she found out that Helga had stopped going around Arnold she decided to get her sister back in the game as soon as possible. If she could get her hands on Helga's phone she would delete that video. She had caught Helga watching it on several occasions. She didn't understand what she saw in Arnold.

"On that note, I am going to go." Helga paid her tab then left the bar. They had only been there a month and Olga was driving Helga crazy. She was constantly introducing Helga to different men, trying to set her up on dates. Helga knew she was trying to force Helga to get over Arnold. It wasn't working.

Helga missed him like crazy. She also felt guilty for not answering Izzy's phone calls. At first she thought it was Arnold repeatedly calling her, she didn't have the heart to talk to him. A few days after the calls stopped, Phoebe informed her that it was Izzy calling to say goodbye. Helga was about to call her back and apologize but Phoebe advised against it. The damage had already been done. Izzy felt slighted and never wanted to talk to her again. That broke her heart even more.

**Shortman Residence**

It was two in the morning and Elise was still awake. After the conversation she had with her father and sister that morning, Elise really wanted to talk to Helga. Unlike her sister, Elise didn't get mad at Helga for leaving. She really liked Helga and her leaving didn't really have an effect on her like it did Izzy. She did think it was rude of her not to answer Izzy's calls though. She took a deep breath then dialed Helga's number.

"Hello" Helga answered her sleepily.

"Hi Miss Helga."

"Elise? It's two in the morning. What are you doing awake? Is everything ok?

"Everything is fine. I would have called earlier, but I didn't want my dad or my sister to know about this phone call. Plus, I didn't know if you would answer."

The last part of Elise's comment stung. "Sweetie, I am sorry about that, I really am."

"You need to say that to my sister. Izzy made all the calls. She is very mad at you. She feels like you didn't care about her. My dad is disappointed in you too, he did not think you would take your break up out on Izzy and myself. I mean, did you care about us at all?"

When Phoebe said those words to Helga, it hurt. But hearing them from Elise was causing Helga physical pain. Every word that Elise was saying felt like a dagger in her stomach. "I did Elise, I really did."

"So why did you break up with my father?"

"Elise, honey that is difficult to explain."

"Izzy said that you don't like that my father isn't an open guy, and the stuff that you found out about him you couldn't handle. Was any of it really that bad?"

"Only one thing was bad and it really didn't bother me. Its just...felt like I didn't know him?"

"Ok. Isn't getting to know someone a process? I am still getting to know Arnold and Izzy."

"It's more difficult than that Elise."

"I don't see the difficulty Ms. Helga. Is it really such a bad thing if he doesn't talk about himself? My dad has secrets, so what. Like he said to us this morning, he will tell us certain things when we're old enough and there are things he won't tell us at all. Maybe he wasn't ready to tell you certain things about himself. A little patience goes a long way. He really cared about you Ms. Helga, wasn't that enough?"

"Well…" Helga did not know what to say. She was being conversationally dominated by a ten year old. The craziest part was that Elise was right. She couldn't help but smile. It may be have been only a few months, but Helga could tell Arnold was rubbing off on the girl. Only a child raised by Arnold would try to fix the problems of adults and succeed.

"I am not saying you and my dad should get back together, but at least apologize to Izzy." Elise said. "Can you at least do that for me."

"Yes, I can do that."

"Alright Ms. Helga, I am going to go now. Thank you for answering the phone."

"You are welcome Elise. Goodnight." Helga hung up the phone. After the conversation that she had with Elise there was no way she was going back to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Hey Arnold.**

**Chapter 11- Coincidences**

**Shortman Residence**

Arnold backed his truck into the garage. Once the truck was parked, he shut off the engine, then rested his head on the steering wheel. It was fifteen minutes past mid-night, and he was beyond tired. The previous day had been a very long one. The girls had a four day weekend, and new trainees arrived at the compound. So, he decided that he would finally show Elise where he worked. He basically killed a ten birds with one stone today.

New trainees were one of three reasons that Arnold would visit the Hillwood compound. He made it a point to introduce himself to every trainee that came to the compound for training. Each class consisted of fifty men and women from various government and police agencies. STTF was an exclusive training program. Every ninety days a new six month class started. There wasn't a government agency or police force that didn't want some of their people STTF certified. The STTF certification was a regime that guaranteed a more efficient soldier, marine, agent, officer, etc. It was also a program that was constantly evolving, ensuring that being a STTF certified individual meant you were a force to be reckoned with. Arnold and five of his instructors knew this because they not only created it, but were the first ones test it. After the program ended, Arnold and his team tested their newly honed skills against the Special Forces, the LAPD Swat, and Army Rangers in various tactical situations. The addition of the three other sites proved how well they did against them. It was also why every location had a waiting list a mile long.

Elise was in awe at how large the compound grounds were. It was about the size of a small town. They reached the compound around nine that morning. Arnold introduced her to all his employees, most of which were anxiously waiting to meet her. Izzy and Elise were the stars of the day. After Arnold gave his orientation speech to the new trainees, the girls got the chance to try a few of the obstacle courses, and play paint ball in one of the unused urban battle fields (fully protected) with some of the staff. After lunch in one of the many cafeterias on site, the girls had to chance to be rescued as part of an extraction mission scenario. With assistance Elise learned how to repel down walls. They even got to see Arnold spar with trainees in one of the hand to hand combat classes. After all of that Arnold figured the girls would be wiped out, but Grandma Susie had other plans.

Susie had been demanding to have the girls spend a weekend with her and Derrick. Since they lived close to the compound, he decided to let the girls spend some time with their grandparents. Arnold thought he would just be dropping the girls off, but somehow he ended up at the circus. He kept a straight face on during the three and a half hour show, and the forty five minute drive to and from Susie's. Once he was back in his truck and on the road, he breathed a sigh of relief. The simple fact was, he was exhausted.

Having two extremely intelligent, mature young girls was a challenge. Each girl had her own personality, and opinion about everything and sometimes those opinions clashed. There had been a few spats between the girls but nothing serious. He was constantly brought in to be the deciding factor on various subjects. Most of which a man his age shouldn't have an opinion about at all.

Arnold lifted his head up and looked at the clock on the dashboard. He was surprised to see that he had been sitting there for almost an hour. "I must be tired." He got out of the truck and started unloading the gear from the back, starting with all of their paint ball gear. Elise's was covered with blue paint, while Izzy's was covered with pink. His was covered with both colors. He laid out all three sets of coveralls, pads, gloves and helmets. He would clean everything later that day. He smiled at the outfits, thinking that there should be a fourth about the same size as his. By now he figured that he would have someone special in his life. He dated during the years that he and Izzy moved around, but he never introduced the women to Izzy because things usually didn't last past a few dates.

"Help."

Arnold shook his head at the sound. It was so faint that he didn't know if it was real or fake. He walked towards the opening of the garage door and listened to the night.

"Help!"

Arnold ran to the end of his driveway to see if he could determine where the cry for help was coming from. Upon reaching the sidewalk someone collided into him, causing them both to fall to the ground. Once the stun from the fall subsided, he saw that there was a woman laying on top of him. She was wearing a black strapless mini dress and she was barefooted. Despite her outfit, Arnold could tell that the woman was young. "Are you ok?"

"No." She slurred. "Please help me, don't let them take me." She hugged Arnold.

"What's your name? Arnold embraced the woman despite the fact that she smelled of alcohol and vomit. He walked her into the garage and sat her down in the passenger side of the truck. He gave her his shirt to her so she could cover herself up.

"Alexis." The woman said.

"I'm Arnold. Everything is going to be ok." Arnold took a good look at the woman. He couldn't tell if she was drunk or under the influence of a drug. He was about to ask her what happened when he heard another voice. A familiar man's voice could be heard coming down the street.

"Hey Wolfgang, I found her purse. She probably went this way." A few seconds passed then Edmund walked by Arnold's driveway. He looked in Arnold's direction since it was the only garage open and the lights were on. "Found her!"

Wolfgang walked up and stood beside his friend. "The young lady is with us football head!" He started approaching Arnold. "Just give us the girl and we can act like this never happened."

Arnold looked at the woman sitting in his truck. She looked back at him. She looked terrified and woozy. "Stay here, and lock the door." He walked out of the garage and stood in the middle of the driveway. "There is no way in hell I am letting her leave with you." Once he saw Wolfgang, Arnold knew what had been done to the woman. It also explained the vomit on Wolfgang's shirt. His thoughts quickly flashed to the night he learned about what happened to Helga. Arnold started feeling something he hadn't felt in years, pure rage. An emotion that he really had to keep in check. Without any control, there was a likely chance that Arnold would try kill Wolfgang in the most excruciating way possible.

"Listen Shortman, there are two of us and one of you." Wolfgang and Edmund continued to approach Arnold. Once Wolfgang was face to face with Arnold, Edmund continued walking until he was behind him. Wolfgang pulled out a knife. "I don't think you wanna do this, just give us the girl. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt tonight."

"What? So you can do to her what you did to Helga." Arnold smiled. "What's wrong Wolfgang, can't little Wolfy do his job with a sober woman." He knew his comment would make Wolfgang strike. Arnold may have been tired, but his rage was giving him an adrenaline boost. The thought of snapping Wolfgang's neck was on constant replay in his head. Arnold took a deep breath to steady himself. Two opponents was never an easy task, especially armed ones. "Just wound them and call the police." He thought to himself.

"You're dead football head."

Wolfgang lunged at Arnold with the knife aiming for his stomach. Arnold simultaneously deflected the knife and gut punched Wolfgang, causing him to bend over in pain, only for his face to immediately meet Arnold's knee. Wolfgang fell backwards on to the pavement, dropping his knife. His nose wasn't broken, but it was bleeding.

A pair of arms wrapped around Arnold, it was Edmund trying to hold onto Arnold until Wolfgang could get his bearings. "I got him Wolfgang. Get up!" His friend was still on the ground clutching both his stomach and face.

Arnold rammed his head into Edmund's nose. This time he was intent on breaking something. Upon contact, there was loud crack. Edmunds grip slackened. Arnold immediately grabbed his right wrist with his right hand. In one swift move he straightened out Edmund's arm, and broke it at the elbow joint. The pain caused Edmund to faint after he saw the condition of his arm. Arnold heard movement behind him, he turned to see Wolfgang back on his feet. Without any hesitation, he started walking towards the injured man, stopping once they were face to face again.

"I am going to kill you Shortman." Wolfgang started reaching for the pistol that he kept in his waistline.

Before he could bring the gun around Arnold front kicked Wolfgang's left knee, shattering his knee cap causing his leg to bend backwards. Wolfgang fell to the ground screaming in pain, dropping his gun in the process, which Arnold kicked away. Wolfgang's leg was in an unnatural position compared to the rest of his body. Arnold walked back to the truck to get his phone to call the police. Wolfgang was on the ground cursing his name.

"You son of a bitch! You can't do this to me! Do you know who I am?! I swear I will kill you and your family!"

Arnold walked back over to Wolfgang, got down on one knee and looked the man right in the eyes. "Try it, not only will I kill you, but I will have you drawn and quartered with two additional ropes. One rope around your neck, and the other around little Wolfy." The look Arnold's face actually brought fear to Wolfgang's eyes. It was the look of a man that would not only do something so twisted, he would also enjoy it.

Minutes after calling, the police arrived at Arnold's home. The officers cringed when they saw the state of Wolfgang's leg and Edmund's arm. There was no blood or exposed bones, just two men with limbs that were the wrong direction. While the events of the morning were reported to the cops, the ambulances showed up. One team of paramedics took the Alexis out of Arnold's truck, got her in the ambulance and sped off. The other paramedics took their time with Wolfgang and Edmund. Yes, it was unprofessional, but three out of the four paramedics were women. They had overheard parts of the story while the cops were questioning Arnold. It was going to be a rough ride to the hospital for both of them. Not to mention the charges that were going to be filed against them. They found a few dissolvable capsules in Wolfgang's pocket. If they matched the drugs in Alexis's system, both men would be in jail for a long time.

By the time the cops left it was five in the morning. Arnold decide that he would sleep in the rest of the morning and check in on the Alexis later. He knew nothing about her, but figured it would be the right thing to do. The officers told Arnold there was a chance that she wouldn't remember anything. Short term memory loss was a side effect of the drug.

Closing the garage, he headed into the house. He thought about having a cup of tea, but decided on something stronger. He walked into his office grabbed a full bottle of truth serum and took one long gulp. He walked in his bathroom with the bottle and started the shower. He took a long hot shower while taking sips of the whiskey. By the time he finished his shower, the bottle was half empty. He normally didn't drink like this, but he wanted to sleep for a long time. Once he started feeling like talking to someone, he put the whiskey away and walked slowly to his bedroom. He fell face first on to his bed, instantly falling asleep.

**A Week Later….**

**Pataki Residence/Johanssen Residence**

"He did what!" Helga yelled into her phone.

_"He saved a woman from being raped." Phoebe said. "I was working the night that they brought Wolfgang and Edmund in. Arnold did a number on both of them. One of my colleagues told me that neither man will fully heal from the injuries."_

"What did he do to them?

_"Broke a limb in a way that would seriously gross you out. Crazy part is he's is acting like it wasn't a big deal. Like any normal person would go up against two armed men._

"Always the her- Wait a minute. Armed!? Was he hurt? Are the girls ok?"

_"Arnold's fine Helga. Not a scratch on him. The girls were at Susie's. I don't think he is going to tell them what happened though."_Phoebe was surprised at her best friend's reaction._"I must say I didn't expect this type of reaction from you."_

"Just because I ended our "relationship", ignored one his daughters, and still haven't followed the advice of his other daughter doesn't mean that I don't care."

_"I know, that "Pataki pride" of yours is keeping you from apologizing to an eight year old when you know you were the one in the wrong. If you had done something like that to the twins, you would have gone through the seven gates of hell for their forgiveness."_

"As I said before, I thought it was Arnold?"

_"Piss poor excuse Helga."_ Phoebe sighed. _"Think about everything you have learned about Arnold in the past few months. Think about his past. Think about the man he is now. Did you really think that he would chase after you, tell you everything about himself, and you two would live happily ever after?"_

"I kinda did. Most guys at least put up a fight for me."

_Arnold is not most guys. And, I don't think I would want to be a person that he chases after. I have a feeling things don't end well in that particular situation._

"So what should I do?"

"_Simple, stop being a baby and apologize to Izzy. Just know that you will have to work harder to convince her father._

Some of the old Arnold has to be in there right. Part of him is still the forgiving type.

_"As long as his Izzy is mad at you. No way in hell."_

**Shortman Residence**

Arnold had not told his daughters about what happened the past weekend. That whole situation was something they didn't need to know about. That is why he didn't allow the police to give out his name. Arnold didn't realize the can of worms that he opened up by saving Alexis. For the second time in his life, he had broken up a drug ring. It turns out that not only was Wolfgang slipping women that drug for his own twisted needs, he was also producing and selling it.

After what Arnold did to his nose, arm and after hearing how he would be charged, Edmund had an epiphany. Wolfgang wasn't worth an accessory to rape charge, or the consequences that would come being knowns a rapist in prison. The drug charges alone was going to put him away for 10 years. In exchange for a lesser sentence in a prison in another state, Edmund told the police everything. The location of the lab, how many times Wolfgang used the drug on girls, even the location of the "trophies" that Wolfgang took from each girl. The cops had more than they needed to put Wolfgang away for life, then Edmund told them about the girls that died from the drug. On five occasions the girls didn't wake up. Since the drug was out of their system in a matter of hours, their death were labeled as natural causes. He did admit that he was brains behind the creation of the drug, but he never used it, and that he was "damage control" when a situation got out hand. That was the reason he was with Wolfgang that night.

As for Wolfgang, he was keeping his mouth shut. As soon as the police tried to question him, he only asked for his lawyer. They couldn't get anything else out of him. Seeing as his lawyer had gotten him off on charges like this before, he wasn't worried. What he didn't know was that his best friend had sold him up the river.

"I'll be right back girls." Arnold walked to the front door, wiping his hands on a dish rag. The girls were in kitchen doing their homework while Arnold was prepping the food for dinner. Fall was in full swing, and temperatures were starting to drop. Arnold decided to cook something hearty for the girls. Arnold opened the door, to see Alexis standing on his stoop.

"Arnold?" Alexis she asked nervously. "Arnold Shortman?"

"Hey Alexis. How are you feeling?" Arnold went to the hospital to check on her, but the police told him that she couldn't remember anything. He told the officer guarding her door to give her the flowers and card he brought for her. "Do you remember me?"

Alexis ran into Arnold's arms with so much force that she knocked them both on the floor. She grabbed his odd shaped head and started furiously kissing him all over his face, while repeatedly saying thank you. She paused momentarily and looked Arnold straight in the eyes before planting her lips on his.

"Dad?"

Alexis opened her eyes to see you young girls staring at her with interest. "I'm so sorry." She jumped up quickly. "I didn't realize you had kids in the house." Her face was a deep shade of red.

A sultry voice spoke from behind Alexis. "I understand he saved you but, this was highly inappropriate Alexis." The older woman stepped up to the doorway, but did not enter. "Good afternoon Mr. Short man. I am Angela Cortez, Alexis's mother. I wanted to personally thank you for what you did for my daughter." The older woman held out her hand to Arnold, who was still on the floor.

Arnold got up from floor, dusted off his hands and shook the older woman's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Arnold took a good look at the two woman. The resemblance was uncanny. They looked like older and younger versions of each other. "Please come in." Arnold escorted both women to the living room. "Can I get you anything?" Arnold was about to walk into the kitchen when he realized that his daughters were staring at him wondering what was going on. "Girls come into the living room." They followed their father. "These are my daughters Elise, and Isabella." They sat down with their father on the couch.

"What's going on dad?" Izzy asked.

"Last week while you were staying with your grandmother, I helped Ms. Cortez out of a bad situation."

"He saved my life." Alexis said. "These two…"

"Alexis!" Angela spoke. "I don't think he wants these young girls to know all the details. Let him explain it the way he wants to." Alexis followed her mother's command and sat on the couch quietly while Arnold explained the situation.

"She was feeling very sick, and I looked out for her until I could get her medical attention." Arnold looked at the other two women in the room and winked at them." The girls didn't need to know that men were chasing after Alexis. That would have only raised more questions from both girls.

"So that's why she tackled you and made out with you on the floor." Elise asked. Rhonda's parties introduced Elise to more than she needed to know about adult relationships.

"I didn't know how else to say thank you." Alexis said, blushing at the young girls comment.

"A simple thank you might have worked." Izzy said. "It's ok though, our dad is awesome. A lot of women want to kiss him."

"Izzy!" Arnold said. It was amazing that his daughters could cause him to blush.

"It's true. Izzy said. "Everywhere we go, women are practically drooling over you."

Angela and Alexis were chuckling lightly at the conversation between the man and the two girls. Arnold was obviously losing against the two girls. Though they were young, the two girls expertly backed their father into a corner, making him give up on arguing with them.

"Mr. Shortman? There is a private matter that I would like to talk to you about." Angela said. "Would you mind if my daughter took yours darling girls out for lunch?"

Curious as to what she meant by "private matter", Arnold looked at Angela and then to his girls. Both already had their "please dad" face on. "Sure. Go get your jackets." Both girls jumped up and ran from the room.

"Don't worry Arnold. They will be safe with me." Alexis said. "I'm sure they could use some "just us girls" time." She got up and followed the two girls up to their respective rooms.

Once the girls were gone, Arnold invited Angela into the kitchen for a cup of tea. Rather than beat around the bush Arnold decided to get right to the point at hand. "What exactly is this private matter you wanted to talk about?"

"First, I wanted to thank you again for what you did for my daughter. Not too many men would go against those odds for a stranger."

"It was the right thing to do." Arnold said taking a sip of tea. "Both of those men deserve a lot worse than what I did to them."

"Neither man will be able to use the limb you damaged properly. What could be worse?" Angela said. "Now on to business. Would you happen to be related to a Miles and Stella Shortman?"

Arnold stopped sipping his tea and looked at the woman sitting across from him. His parent's names hadn't been brought up in years…by anyone. Oddly enough he wanted to see where the woman was going with this. "Yes, they were my parents. They were taken from me when I was a young man. Did you know my parents?"

Angela ignored his question. "And I take it that your youngest daughter is a child of the Green Eyes?" She continued to sip her tea nonchalantly.

"Yes she is." Arnold said with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"No need to get snippy Arnold." Angela placed her hand on his to calm him down. "I am not only here to thank you for saving my daughter. I am also here to apologize for the hurt that my family constantly caused you.

"What does that mean?"

"My father put a hit out on your parents all those years ago. My brother massacred those green eyed villages for his own profit, in the process killing the mother of your daughter and countless others. That bastard also killed my husband when the initiated the coup de tat on our father's organization."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"No Arnold, I am not. After the coup and the death of my husband, I left San Lorenzo and came to the states with my daughter. I changed our names from Sombra to Cortez. My family was full of horrible people and I didn't want their legacy to follow me."

"You don't have to apologize for them."

"I want to." The two adults heard the front door open behind them. The girls were back from lunch. Angela sat down her tea cup and picked up her coat. "Thank you again for what you did for my daughter, I won't ever forget it. But before I leave, I have one more question for you."

"Shoot."

Angela smiled at Arnold's choice of words. "Is it a coincidence that the man that caused you so much pain happened to be killed by a sniper rifle and that you Mr. Shortman are quite the marksman yourself?"

"I guess it is." Arnold hooked his arm in Angela's and escorted the woman to the front door. It was obvious that she pieced together some parts of his past, but she wasn't going to use it against him. Angela understood why he did what he did.

"Interesting." Angela kissed Arnold on the cheek then walked out the door to her car, leaving a red lipstick print on his cheek.

Alexis walked in front of Arnold and planted a small kiss on his other cheek. "Your girls are awesome. I gave them my number. They officially have a twenty one year old sister if they need me. Bye Arnold." She walked down the stoop got in the car with her mother and the two women left.

"We told you every woman you meet likes you." Elise and Izzy said in unison from behind Arnold.

**Chapter 11 completed. Sorry for taking so long. I had issues figuring out where I am taking this story. I am back on track. Chapter 12 will be up soon. Please read and review.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Hey Arnold.**

**Chapter 12-No Point in Apologizing **

**Shortman Residence**

_(Flashback/A few days after meeting Angela)_

_Hello_

_Hi Angela, it's Arnold. I was wondering if we could talk._

_Ah…Arnold, I was waiting to see how long it would take you to finally call me. I knew your curiosity would get the best of you._

_Is that right?_

_Yes._

_How did you know my parents? Other than the fact that your father killed them. _

_Many of the people in San Lorenzo knew about the first outbreak of the sleeping disease. It didn't only effect the Green Eyes. There were a dozens of cases in the general population. Many people were saved by your parent's antidote. One exception being my mother. My father blamed your parents for her death. He often talked about how your parents stole a relic from him too. He vowed to get back at them. The second time the disease struck, my father knew your parents would come to help the Green Eyes. The price on their heads brought killers from all over the South America. Your parents went from saints to targets marked for death. _

_Does the name Eduardo Alvarez ring a bell? He was the man that killed my parents. _

_The name sounds familiar. Please understand that I stayed as far away from my father and brother's lifestyle. I planned to leave San Lorenzo as soon as I had the opportunity._

_And that opportunity was the coup?_

_Yes. My brother was so busy rebuilding my father's empire that he paid little attention to me. With the help of one of the men loyal to my father, I was able to leave the country with my daughter. I changed our names and moved around until I was sure we wouldn't be found. When I heard that my brother finally died, I breathed a sigh of relief. I could finally stop looking over my shoulder. When Alexis called and said that she had almost been attacked, I thought we had become careless and someone recognized us. Imagine my surprise when she told me she was saved by a man name Arnold Shortman. I had to meet you._

_Why?_

_I really doubt there are a bunch of Shortmans in this world. I became curious about you when I saw your company website. Your trainer profile has you as the CEO, hand to hand combat and long range shooting instructor. That is why I asked you that question I did before I left your home. _

_So…Everything between us is ok?_

_Of course Arnold. Both my daughter and I are indebted to you for your "actions."_

_Speaking of daughters, how did you know that Izzy was a Green Eye?_

_I did grow up in San Lorenzo. I know the tales of the elusive Green Eyes. Those who say they have seen a Green Eye give a description that fit your daughter perfectly. It is said that the Green Eyes have a flawless caramel complexion and Jade green eyes. Then of course, I looked into your eyes. Which made me think about another legend from home._

_And that was? _

_It is said that there was a blonde haired, jade green eyed baby boy born during the eruption of a volcano. His cries were powerful enough to silence not only the volcano, but nature itself. Now guess who was born in San Lorenzo during the eruption of a volcano?_

_Angela, where are you going with this? _

_You interest me Arnold. I would like to get to know you better. Maybe we can get together sometime?_

_I will think about it and get back to you. Is that ok?_

_Don't take too long Arnold. I am a busy woman._

_I won't. Have a good night Angela._

_Good night Arnold_

_(End Flashback)_

Arnold paused from reading the numerous files in front of him and rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. He had been reading for over four hours. He spun around in his desk chair to face the large window in his office. The sun was starting set. The day had been unseasonably warm, seeing as it was December. The seven day forecast called for a white Christmas.

It had taken him a few weeks but he finally had full dossiers on Angela, Alexis, Rodrigo and Enrico and his parents. It wasn't that he doubted the things Angela told him, he was never one to just take someone's word, especially a stranger. The sound of the doorbell brought him out of his thoughts. He turned to face his desk, pressing a button that unlocked the front door. He knew it was Gerald.

"Did you get all the information you needed?" Gerald walked into the office and sat down on one of the couches. He had been waiting for weeks to learn about the mysterious Angela. He didn't ask much about the encounter. He knew Arnold would tell him everything when he got information. Today was that day.

"I have been reading for the past few hours. Everything she told me is true." Arnold walked over to the globe bar and prepared a drink for the two of them. Arnold picked a photograph off his desk and handed it to Gerald along with his drink. "This is her."

"I don't believe you!" Gerald said with astonishment in his voice. "Arnold this woman is gorgeous." In Gerald's eyes there would never be a more beautiful woman than his wife. Though, he was secure enough in his marriage that he could openly admit when a woman was attractive. "You actually went out with her?"

"We had lunch a few times while she was in town, nothing serious. Plus, she is five years older than me." Arnold agreed with his friend. Angela was a very beautiful woman. She was 5'8, 125 lbs., with the shape of a coke bottle. She had long black hair like Izzy's with blonde highlights and hazel eyes. The few times that they had lunch, she was the center of attention. Only thing was, her attention was all on Arnold.

"There is no way this woman is forty one." Gerald sat the picture of Angela face down on the table. "It doesn't bother you that her father killed your parents, and her brother killed Izzy's mom."

"Helga's mom killed both my grandparents, and I forgave her." Arnold sat down on the couch across from Gerald. "Not to mention, I did kill her brother.

"So from now on your relationships are going to be based off murders." Gerald couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You're overreacting Gerald. I didn't say that."

"What exactly are your saying?"

"I am saying that I am not going to hold what her family did against her. Just like she doesn't hold her brother against me."

"What about the Green Eyes, this woman's brother literally tried to wipe those people off the planet."

"I get that Gerald. This whole situation is twisted enough as is. The girls are having so much fun with Alexis, I don't want to mess it up." Arnold got up and walked over to the globe. "Do you want another?"

"Sure man." Gerald handed Arnold his glass. "You're a bold dude Arnold, a VERY bold dude."

"If you're so smart." Arnold sat back down across from Gerald. "How would you handle a situation like this?"

"Her father killed your parents. Her brother killed your daughter's mother and committed genocide. You killed her brother, and years later save her daughter. Then you go out on a few dates with her. And you let her daughter babysit your daughters." Gerald took a long sip of his drink. "This story belongs on a talk show."

"Exactly." Arnold said laughing. "Despite our past, there is no hard feelings or ill will."

Gerald stared at his friend of over thirty years. He found it amazing how he could be breaking bones one minute, and be a beacon of forgiveness the next. "So where are the girls now?"

"They are at the mall with Alexis. I think she wants them to help her pick out a Christmas present for me."

"Wait what?" Gerald almost spit out his drink. "Hillwood Mall."

"Yeah, so what."

"Phoebe and the kids are at the mall…with Helga"

**Hillwood Mall**

"So what do you girls think I should get your father?" Alexis, Izzy and Elise had spent the entire day together Christmas shopping. Since Alexis was traveling home to Arizona the next day, she wanted to spend quality time with the girls she affectionately call her "little sisters." She was trying to find a perfect gift for Arnold but it was proving rather difficult.

Izzy openly admitted that her father respectfully rejected gifts from family and friends. He preferred things be given to charity in his name, and that the less fortunate have a happy holiday. He would always volunteer on Christmas Eve and take Izzy to spend Christmas day with Susie. This was also when she could receive her presents from her father. They never put up trees or decorations in their multiple apartments. Izzy couldn't help but feel that if it wasn't for her, he probably wouldn't celebrate holidays at all.

"Exotic teas might be a good idea. We have tea together almost every morning." Elise said.

"Really. Your father has tea parties with you. That is so cute." Even though Alexis hung out with the girls on a regular basis, she hadn't seen too many daddy daughter moments. She was learning that the two sisters were like night and day. Izzy was a bit tomboyish, where Elise was feminine. Despite their individual personality traits, both girls were beyond adorable. "I don't know if they have a place in the mall that sells exotic teas."

"They do." Elise said. "I will show it to you." Elise grabbed Alexis hand and started pull the woman in the direction of the tea shop.

Izzy lazily followed along. She understood why both Alexis and Elise were adamant about getting her father a good gift. He had saved both of them. They were just trying to show their appreciation. Elise was talking excitedly to Alexis about different teas that her father might like when they reached the store. Izzy wasn't jealous that her sister had a tradition with their father, she welcomed it. She was learning martial arts, and Elise was learning about tea.

A familiar voice called her name before she walked inside with her sister. "Izzy?"

Izzy turned around and greeted her aunt respectfully. "Hello Aunt Phoebe. How are you today?" She walked up and hugged her around the waist.

"I am fine Izzy. It has been a few weeks since I have seen you. How are things?" Between Elise's adoption, school, and martial arts training it had been a while since Phoebe had seen her nieces. At first she thought it was because of what happened between her and Helga. A phone call from Arnold cleared up the situation. Things for both families had been busy the past few weeks.

Their conversation was interrupted by Alexis, who didn't know who Izzy was currently talking to nor did she see the previous exchange of pleasantries. "Izzy, you shouldn't be talking to strangers."

Phoebe replied to the woman's comments harsher than expected. "Excuse me, I am her Aunt Phoebe. I should be asking who you are."

Realizing her mistake, Alexis apologized to the woman. "I am so sorry. Mrs. Johanssen correct? I am Alexis." She stuck out her hand to shake the older woman's hand. Phoebe shook her hand once she realized that she was talking to the woman that Arnold saved.

When Elise walked up to the group she could instantly feel the tension. "Hello Mrs. Johanssen." She said to her aunt. She still wasn't comfortable calling Phoebe her aunt. The same thing went for Gerald, Susie and Derrick.

Even though Phoebe hadn't seen the girls in a few weeks, she was still somewhat disappointed that Elise would not refer to her as Aunt Phoebe. Rather than tell that she could, she decided to let it slide today. "I am going to go out on a whim, and say that you are trying to find a gift for Arnold." She looked at the bags that both Elise and Alexis had in their hands. "He is impossible to buy something for."

"We decide to get him a new tea set and some exotic teas. Alexis said. "It not much, but I hope he likes it."

"He loves his tea." Phoebe looked at both Alexis and Elise, then to Izzy. Are you not getting your father something?"

"You know how my father is about gifts. I couldn't stop these two, but I am going to respect my father's wishes.

"Always the obedient daughter." Phoebe said. Most people got the impression that Izzy had Arnold wrapped around her finger. It was the exact opposite. To Izzy, her father's world was law. Your Uncle Gerald should have dropped off your gifts when went to see your father today. I hope you like….

"Elise! Izzy!" Two young voices called out in unison. Asami and Sakura ran up and hugged their cousins. All four girls started talking excitedly to each other. You would think they hadn't seen each other in years.

"Your twins are adorable." Alexis said to Phoebe, trying to ease whatever tension was left between them.

"Thank you." Phoebe said. "And don't worry, I understand that you were trying to protect my niece." She could tell that her comment got Alexis to relax. "Arnold is not the type to let those two out of his sight easily. He must really like you."

Alexis visibly blushed at her comment. Yes she still had her "hero's crush" on Arnold, but rather than pursue a man fifteen years older than her. She thought it would be better if she helped him with his daughters in her spare time. She wasn't trying to be a mom to the girls, more like an older sister. Since her incident and make out session with their father, they had done several things together. Though she was a college student, if the girls called about anything, she wouldn't hesitate to be there for them. Before she could comment back another voice called out to Phoebe causing the entire group to look at the person speaking.

Helga walked up to the group, while looking in the bags in her arms. "I had the store clerk look long and hard for the jersey your tall haired husband wanted. I am going to have to special order it. But I did get everything else." Helga looked up to the group in front of her. Two sets of eyes she hadn't seen in months were staring at her. One pair with a look of hurt on her face.

"Helga, this is Alexis." Phoebe didn't know how to explain who the woman with Arnold's kids was. She didn't think it would proper to introduce Alexis as the girl Arnold saved. The situation was already awkward.

Alexis reached out to shake Helga's hand. At the same time she felt Izzy grab her other hand and squeezed it lightly. She looked at the young girl and could immediately tell that she was uncomfortable with the woman that walked up to the group. Rather than be rude, she shook hand with Helga. "It was a pleasure to meet you all, but I gotta get these two home before their father starts looking for us."

Helga knew Alexis was leaving because Izzy was uncomfortable around her. "It was nice to meet you Alexis. Merry Christmas girls."

Goodbyes were said quickly. Elise wished Helga a Merry Christmas, where Izzy said nothing. Alexis and the girls headed out of the mall to her car. Once they were inside she decided to ask about what happened in the mall. "Izzy what happened between you and that Helga lady?"

**Johanssen Residence**

The ride back to Gerald and Phoebe's was a quite one. Even the twins noticed how their cousin acted towards Helga. They wanted to ask their cousin what wrong, but she left too fast. "What was wrong with Cousin Izzy Mom? She doesn't normally act like that."

Before Phoebe could answer the girls Helga spoke up. "Your auntie made the mistake of not answering her calls before I left. She is very mad at me."

"Did you apologize?" Sakura asked. "It's not like Izzy to hold a grudge."

Helga turned around in the passenger seat, looking at her nieces. "I think it's a little late to apologize girls. Sometimes adults make mistakes that they can't make up for." She knew by the way Izzy reacted to her in the mall that an apology or even a grand gesture wouldn't repair the damage. Not to mention that hurting Izzy, even accidentally was a deadly sin in Arnold's eyes. Even if she apologized and Izzy forgave her, Arnold would never trust her around his kids.

"Enough with all this negative stuff. It's Christmas time and everyone should be smiling." Phoebe said, as they pull up to her home. Once everything was unloaded, Phoebe took the twins and started getting them ready for bed.

Helga walked around the living room looking at all the pictures of the Johanssen family. She was happy for Phoebe and Gerald. Everyone knew they were destined to be together. And even though she was accepted as one of the family, she would always be on the outside looking in. She follow the trail of pictures until they led into the hallway. The first door on the right was Gerald's office. He was sitting in the room reading a magazine. She stopped when she saw a picture of Arnold on his bookshelf beside the albums that Phoebe showed her all those months ago. "Can I ask you something?" She said walking into his office.

"Sure, what's on your mind? He put down the magazine and gave Helga his full attention. He noticed her looking at the picture, he already knew what the subject was going to be about.

"Why haven't you tried to talk me into apologizing to Izzy?" Everyone she knew besides Olga had told her to apologize to the young girl except Gerald.

"I am going to assume that not only my wife, but also my kids have told you to apologize."

"Correct."

"And have you done it."

"No."

"Why not?

"Because…"

"Because you are Helga Pataki. You don't apologize to anyone, even if you are in the wrong."

"That kind of harsh Geraldo."

"I didn't mean it in a negative way. What I am saying is that unless someone is in your inner circle, you don't make it a point to show your caring side."

"But she was just a kid, and I…."

"Spare me. I know you thought it was Arnold. Apologizing wouldn't do you any good any way. Isabella is Arnold's daughter, meaning she is already tougher than most adults. She will get over it.

"I figured you would be scolding me about hurting your niece."

"Nope. It's just further proof that you and Arnold will never happen. And more than likely shouldn't happen. Despite what my wife thinks."

Helga felt somewhat offended by Gerald's comment. "It didn't seem like that when you tried that little stunt a few months ago."

Gerald chuckled. "Yeah, I thought that would have worked. Though in the aftermath of the situation, I realized something. You two would never make it as a couple."

"I don't understand."

"Arnold is father first and a business man second. Nothing will ever come before either of those. Why do you think he had been single so long before reuniting with you? Sure, you had feelings for Arnold and enjoyed spend time with him and the girls, but you only got the highlight reel. "

"The highlight reel?"

"Yes, you only saw them when they were having fun. You never saw the hard parts of being a single father." Gerald grabbed a bottle of truth serum and poured himself a glass. He knew what he was about to say next would hurt her feelings. "You are not a parent Helga. Yes, you spend time with the girls but you don't know the first thing about taking care of kids. When it comes to you, everything is all fun and games. Phoebe and I have to lay down the laws, structure, and teach. Sometimes we have to play the bad guy. Sometimes they have us wanting to pull our hair out."

"Do you ever regret having kids?" Helga poured herself a glass. Her conversations about parenting with Phoebe had never gotten this deep.

"Never. You are missing my point. Arnold is doing alone what Phoebe and I are doing together. Along with his career. You are a beautiful, successful woman. You should be with someone like yourself. There is no need for you take on the responsibilities of parent, especially if they kids aren't yours."

"I would have cared for them as if they were my own."

"You'd think that." Gerald laughed at her comment. "But what about when you find yourself questioning knowing who Arnold really is again. I can tell you right now, it would happen again. You think the San Lorenzo is the worst thing he has done? What about when the girls got older and started rebelling? How are you going feel when they openly reject you and say they don't have to listen to you because you're not their mother?"

"What makes you think something like that would happen?"

"I know a guy." They both laughed at the comment. Once their fit of laughter stopped, Gerald became serious again. "What would you do about your job? The position that takes you all over the country to new and exciting places. The job that helps inspire your stories and poetry. Do you want to give that up?"

Helga knew the answer was no. She loved her job despite the fact she had to work with her sister. When she stared talking with Gerald she thought the conversation was going to go in a different direction.

"Gerald?" Phoebe said from the door. The look on her face showed that she had heard some of their conversation.

"Yes babe" He said hesitantly.

"The girls are ready for bed. You should go say goodnight." She said calmly. Gerald kissed her on the cheek as he left the room. Once Phoebe heard the door to the twin's room close, she sat down in her husband office chair. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Go back to how things were." Helga said. "Your husband is right. Arnold is the fantasy of nine year old Helga. Thirty six year old Helga needs to continue on her own path." She held up her glass to Phoebe and finished her drink. "On that note, I am going to go."

Phoebe called Helga a taxi just to be safe and escorted her friend outside. "So are you going to be here on Christmas day right?" She knew all too well that if Helga wanted to she could disappear the next day.

"Of course. You don't think I am going to spend that day with Olga and Miriam do you?" The taxi pulled up and Helga got inside. "Tell your husband I said thanks for the pep talk." Phoebe waved as the taxi pulled off.

**Shortman Residence**

**Knock. Knock. Knock.**

Alexis knocked lightly on to Arnold's office door. To try and cheer Izzy up she had taken the girls out for pizza once they left the mall. When Izzy said she didn't want to talk about it, Elise told the story. Once Elise was done, Alexis couldn't help but give Izzy a hug. It was amazing how people let simple misunderstandings turn into damaged relationships. It also explained why it took so long for Izzy to warm up to her.

"Come in." Arnold looked up from his desk to see Alexis walking in with a gift wrapped box in her hands. "Hey Alexis. Where are the girls?"

"They are in their rooms getting ready to call it a night. We did some serious shopping today." She walked up to his desk and placed the box in front of him. "I am leaving in the morning, but I wanted to give you this since I won't see you until after the New Year."

"You didn't have to get my anything Alexis."

"The girls told me how you feel about gifts. I really wanted to get you something though."

Arnold could see the want of approval in the young woman's eyes. "Did you want me to open it now? This was the reason he didn't like getting gifts, he really didn't know how to react to people that got him things. A smile seemed forced and a thank you seemed fake.

"Yes please." She said excitedly. "Just know it's from myself and Elise."

"Well thank you both." Once all the wrapping paper was off the box, Arnold sat at his desk speechless. Sitting on his desk was a Hobnail Cast Iron Teapot with a four cast iron cup set.

"We also got you an assortment of different teas. Elise is going to wait until Christmas day to give that to you." Alexis realized that Arnold hadn't said anything. "Um…Do you like it?" She asked nervously.

Arnold got up from his desk and slowly pulled her into a hug. "I love it. Thank you so much." He kissed Alexis on the cheek causing her to blush. "I can't wait to use it."

"I am glad you like it. I am going to head home now. My flight leaves early in the morning." She started walking towards the officer door. "Arnold?"

"Yes?" He sat back down at his desk.

"You might want to talk to Izzy." Alexis said opening the door to his officer.

"Let me guess, she saw Helga Pataki at the mall."

"Um…yeah. How did you know?"

"Gerald told me she was at the mall at the same time you three were. Is she ok?"

"She seems a little down. I tried to help her feel better, but nothing worked."

Arnold got up and walked over to the door with Alexis. Let me walk you outside and I will go talk to both of them. He escorted her downstairs and outside to her car. "The girls and I did get you and your mother something. It should be there by the time you get home. Drive safe and Merry Christmas Alexis."

"Merry Christmas Arnold." Alexis pulled off into the night.

He watched her car until she turned a corner far down the street. He walked back in the house and headed up to Izzy's room.

**Chapter 12 Completed. Please R&amp;R**


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own Hey Arnold.**

**Chapter 13-The Things I Know**

**Shortman Residence**

(Four months later/Elise's Birthday)

_Ding Dong._

Excusing himself from his guest, Arnold walked towards the front door expecting it to be Angela. He hoped she would accept his offer to Elise's eleventh birthday party. They hadn't physically seen each other since Alexis's incident, though they did talk almost every day. Oddly enough they had become very good friends and wanted to take their relationship further. He was looking forward to introducing Angela to Gerald and Phoebe today. He opened the door to see Angela in a black and blue cocktail dress with a pair of black heels. Her long black hair was draped over her shoulders. One would think she was overdressed for a kid's birthday party but that is how she always dressed. Sophisticated and sexy. He didn't realize he was staring at her until she spoke.

"It's not nice to stare you know." Angela said handing him a box wrapped in silvery pink wrapping paper with a pink bow. "I take it you like what you see?" She kissed him on the cheek leaving a lipstick print on his cheek. "Where is the birthday girl?"

"She is upstairs with Alexis and Izzy." He said while interlocking his arm with hers. He escorted Angela through the house introducing her to his neighbors, co-workers and the parents of kid's in Elise's class. He sat Angela's present to Elise down on the dining room table, then headed towards the back of the house. The party was the equivalent of the housewarming party except everything was pink. Once they were in the backyard, Arnold escorted Angela over to the bar were Gerald and Phoebe were stocking up drinks for both the kids and adults. "Gerald. Phoebe. I would like for you to meet Angela Cortez, Alexis's mom."

"Pleasure to finally meet you both." She extended her hand to the two people Arnold said were his best friends. She wanted to make a good impression.

"Hello, I am Phoebe Johanssen and the man staring at you like a deer caught in headlights is my husband Gerald." She shook Angela's hand and nudged her husband in the ribs with her elbow. Gerald staring at Angela did annoy Phoebe, but it was obvious that happened to Angela often. Most of the men in the backyard had already taken a side glance at her. Even Phoebe had to admit the Angela was a stunning woman. By the way she was holding on to Arnold, she could tell they were more than just friends. Once she learned that Angela would be attending Elise's birthday day party, Phoebe couldn't wait to meet her. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"A beer would be fine thank you." Angela said, sitting on one of the stools at the bar. "Arnold mi amour, would you like anything?" She turned to see that not only was Arnold not behind her, but he was in the yard talking to the two men on the grill.

"That is something you will have to get used to when it comes to Arnold." Gerald said laughing. "He is here one second and gone the next."

"I see that." Angela said, taking a sip of her beer watching Arnold converse with the cooks. Once he was done he headed back towards the patio.

"The cooks said all the food is done. Everyone can start eating. I am going to go upstairs and get the girls."

"Arnold." Angela said before he could leave. "Come here for a moment."

Arnold turned to face Angela. "Yes."

Angela took her thumb and wiped the lipstick off of his cheek. "You're good now amour."

"That explains why the women were looking at me funny." Arnold laughed then walked into the house.

Once Arnold was finally inside, Angela turned to Phoebe and Gerald with a serious expression. "You can begin your interrogation now."

Phoebe and Gerald looked at each other then back at Angela. "We have no idea what you are talking about."

"You two are Arnold's best friends and confidants so I know he told you how are past are intertwined. If I want things to go further between us, I am going to need your seal of approval." Angela took a sip of her beer. "I don't care about his money, I have my own. I don't care about his secrets, everyone has them. I like Arnold for the man he is. Which is something I know I have to prove to you two."

Gerald and Phoebe were quite for a moment. "He told you about his last relationship?" Phoebe asked. She found it odd that Angela pointed out the specific issues that Helga had with Arnold.

"Yes. It didn't seem like the first time that happened."

"Don't you think you should talk to the girls about your relationship first?" Gerald asked.

"Arnold and I talked about that…" She started fingering the rim of her beer.

"And?" Phoebe asked.

"We decided that if we want to take things beyond a platonic level, the girls have to know everything."

"And if they are against you two being together?" Phoebe asked. "I mean your past are so…'' She didn't have a word to explain it.

"We will respect their decision. That is one of the reasons he invited me today. Unlike Alexis, only pleasantries have been exchanged between myself, Izzy and Elise. I want to try to get to know them better. This way they can get to know me for who I am, not the bloodline I come from."

Before Gerald and Phoebe could say anything else the crowd in the backyard erupted in loud "HAPPY BIRTHDAY! They looked to see Arnold guiding Elise into the back yard to the long picnic table covered with plates and decorations, surrounded by her friends. She was wearing a pink short sleeve flannel shirt with blue jeans and pink converses. She didn't do it often, but today she wanted put her own spin on her father's old dressing style. Thanks to Alexis, Elise also had pink streaks in her hair. Once she was placed at the head of the table, the party began.

With the assistance of two of his neighbors, Arnold had the food and activity tables set up in his yard. The other two yards held the climbing walls and the laser tag field. After doing obstacle courses and paintballing at the compound Elise requested that her party be as interactive as possible. After the party she would be having a sleepover with her female classmates, sister and cousins. Unlike that last time he chaperoned, the girls would mostly be Elise's age. The youngest ones would be the twins and Izzy.

**Patio**

Once the party ended and Elise had taken her guest to her room to begin the slumber party, Phoebe and Angela lounged on the patio while Arnold and Gerald got the snacks together for the girls. During the length of the party Phoebe had gotten to know Angela fairly well. They were currently sipping on a glass of wine while waiting for Arnold and Gerald to complete their task.

"Do you plan on helping Arnold chaperone tonight?" Phoebe asked. She had expected Alexis to be a chaperone, but she left before the party ended.

"No. I feel that would be inappropriate." Angle slipped off her heels and tucked her legs under her body. "There are children here, and I don't know if I could behave if I had Arnold all to myself." She looked deviously at Phoebe who almost did a spitake.

"Wow." Phoebe wiped the small amount of spittle that came out of her mouth with a napkin.

"The past few months have been nothing but phone calls, text and video chats. To be honest, I couldn't wait to be close to him. Does that any make since?"

"Of course it does. Gerald and I attended two different colleges. After being apart I couldn't wait to be with him. I am curious as to why you wiped off the first kiss print if you were going to continuously put them on his face during party."

"I had to keep my mark on him. Did you hear some of the things the women were saying about him? You would have thought he was a piece of meat."

"The handsome single dad that doesn't date" Phoebe laughed. "With two daughters that are just as cute."

"I have to admit. Those two are adorable."

"Did you make any progress with them today?"

"I told Izzy about San Lorenzo and some of what I knew about the Green Eyes. She didn't really react, but I told her that if she ever had any questions all she has to do is ask."

"Izzy currently has her walls up. Just give her time. How about Elise?"

"I think she liked the diary that I gave her. Arnold said that she liked to write, so I gave her one that unlocked via voice command. I gave Alexis one like it when she was a teenager."

"Speaking of Alexis, she left in a bit of a hurry earlier. Was something wrong?"

Angela looked behind her to make sure they were alone. She leaned in close to Phoebe and whispered. "She had a date."

"I thought she still had a crush on Arnold."

"Alexis has been over that for a while. I don't know if she told the girls. I know that she was worried that they might feel rejected. She wouldn't explain why. I didn't pry because it seemed like something that was between the three of them."

Rhonda &amp; Helga popped into Phoebe's mind. "I think they would understand her having a date. They may not say it, but I know they want their father to start dating." Phoebe winked at Angela. "The girls would be happy for her."

"Is that your way of giving me your approval?"

"Maybe. We will see." The women clinked their glasses in a toast."

**Kitchen**

"How many are you dealing with tonight?" Gerald asked as he and Arnold finished putting together the snack baskets for the slumber party. Since there were more girls this time, they put all the snacks into large baskets.

"Fourteen." Arnold said. "Most are Elise's age, so I don't expect too many problems."

"Are you sure my girls should be here. They're only six. I don't want to hear that they were being picked on or shunned."

"Don't worry Gerald." Arnold said laughing. "Izzy will be there. She already has a reputation for protecting people." Izzy had gotten into trouble a few weeks back for protecting a third grader that was being picked on by a fifth grader. Even though Izzy was a fifth grader, she was only eight and smaller than most of her classmates. Using the skills Arnold taught her, she took down the bully with ease. Only problem was that principal had a zero tolerance policy for fighting. She had gotten suspended for two days. Arnold wasn't mad at her, he was actually very proud of her. "Elise wanted them here. It's her birthday, she gets what she wants." They both grabbed a snack basket and headed towards Elise's room.

Content that his girls were in good hands Gerald changed the subject. "Angela seems to really be into you. She said that you both want to take your relationship further?"

"We would like too, but I wanted to know what you thought about her. Is there something you see that I don't?"

"Nope." Gerald said as they reached Elise's room. "I didn't get to talk to her that much. Phoebe spent most of the party talking with her. It seemed like they were getting along very well. Despite all the craziness in your past, she seems genuine to me. I noticed that she constantly left a lipstick print on your cheek during the party. Are you two…?" Arnold opened the door to Elise's room before he could finish his sentence.

"Here you go girls!" Arnold said a little too loudly hoping they group of girls hadn't heard what they were talking about. Both men walked in the room and sat their individual basket down. "If you need or want anything else, I will be in my office. Let's go Uncle Gerald." They backed out of the room watching the group of girls swarm the baskets like wild animals.

"I didn't mean to cross any lines." Gerald said as they approached his office. Once they were inside, Arnold fixed them both a drink and handed a glass to Gerald.

"You're ok." Arnold said plopping down on a couch. "Nothing has happened between us."

"Do want something to happen?"

Arnold just looked at him, the expression on his face saying "what do you thing?"

KNOCK. KNOCK.

"I got it." Gerald sat down his glass and opened the door to the office. It was a good thing that he didn't have a drink in his hand because Phoebe jumped into his arms and kissed him on the lips. He fell back down on the couch with phoebe straddling him continuing the kiss.

Angela nonchalantly walked into Arnold's office and sat down beside him. She grabbed the glass in his hand and took a sip. "Wow, this is strong."

"Um…yeah." He didn't mean to stare at the sight across from him but he couldn't help it. "What is going on over there? He asked without looking at Angela.

Phoebe stopped kissing her husband, got up and sat beside him. "It was just a something that Angela said that I should try." Phoebe said. Gerald was speechless.

Arnold looked at Angela with an eyebrow raised.

"Phoebe saw that I was constantly kissing you during the day. She said she hadn't gotten a kiss from Gerald since this morning. I told her to take a kiss from him if she really wanted it." She looked over to Gerald. "How do you feel right now?"

"I want to go home and create another set of twins." The group started laughing together. Arnold fixed drinks for the ladies. They spent the rest of the evening getting know Angela and conversing about various subjects. Being the responsible chaperone, Arnold checked on the girls periodically. They were enjoying themselves so much they lost track of time.

When Arnold looked at his watch it was past midnight. "Look at the time!" He looked over to Gerald and Phoebe who were also checking their watches. "You guys can just stay in the suite across the hall. Just check on the girls one more time."

Gerald and Phoebe left the room. A few minutes passed and Gerald stuck his head in the door of the office. "They are all asleep. Goodnight you two."

"Goodnight." Arnold and Angela said in unison.

Once he heard the door across the hall close Arnold looked over to Angela. "You can stay tonight if you want."

"As long as I am with you." Angela crawled over to Arnold, forcing him on to his back. She wasted no time kissing him with everything she had.

Going against his better judgment Arnold temporarily broke the kiss. "You know that nothing can happen tonight. I have a bunch of young impressionable minds right across from my room."

Angela dove in again with no hesitation. She stopped the kiss by pulling on his bottom lip with her teeth. "Ok mi amour." She got up and started walked towards his bathroom unzipping her dress as she walked. She opened the door and walked inside leaving it open. Seconds later he heard the door to his bedroom open. After that, there was silence.

Arnold closed the door to his office, then walked towards his bathroom. When he got to the entrance he saw Angela's dress on the floor. Closing the office/bathroom door, he continued to his bedroom. Upon entering his bedroom he looked at his bed. Angela was already under the sheets waiting for him.

"Change and come to bed with me."

Arnold knew it was going to take every ounce of self-control he had to keep him from taking advantage of this situation. He walked into his closet to change. He exited dressed only in a pair of basketball shorts. He tossed Angela one of his t-shirts to wear.

"I don't need the shirt." She said as she tossed the shirt on the floor. "If I cannot have you the way I want you, I want to at least feel your body against mine."

As soon as he got into the bed with her Angela pounced on him again. She was in her bra and panties. Keeping control of the situation Arnold placed he hands on her hips, feeling only lace.

Angela broke the kiss then pushed herself up so that she could look into his eyes. She spoke with seductive force. "This will be the only time I let you refuse me." She kissed him deeply again then laid down on his chest. They talked until they fell asleep.

**Early Morning**

"Dad. Wake up."

"Izzy, it's early, go back to bed.

"Dad. Come on. It's important."

Arnold opened one of his eyes. He looked at the window, the clock and then to his daughter. "Sweetie, it's only six in the morning. What is so important?"

"Elise's mom is outside."

"What!" Arnold would have jumped up but realized Angela's head was on his chest and her arm around his torso. He slowly maneuvered himself out of the bed hoping not to wake her. He was surprised that Izzy didn't react at all to Angela being in his bed.

"Did you answer the door? Is Elise awake yet?"

"No and no."

Then how do you know she's here? Arnold walked out of the closet pulling on a sleeveless shirt.

"I was on the roof and a limo pulled up in front of the house. She got out of the car and started smoking. I figured she is nervous since it has been so long since she has seen Elise."

"Wait…what were you doing on the roof this early in the morning?"

"I like sit on the roof sometimes."

Arnold walked out of his room toward the front door. He would ask why she was on the roof so early in the morning after he dealt with Rhonda. Elise had not seen Rhonda since the day he requested to adopt her. He told Rhonda that she could be a part of her daughter's life if she wanted. She never called, wrote or stopped by, so he basically wrote her off. Elise had just had a wonderful birthday, he would be damned if he would let Rhonda ruin it.

Rhonda was about to knock on the front door when it flew open. In the entrance stood Arnold, with a look of annoyance on his face. She knew from experience how he could act when tempted. He still made her nervous whenever she was around him. She relaxed when she saw his daughter behind him. Rumor had it that he always kept his cool in front of her. "Good Morning Arnold."

"What are you doing here Rhonda!?"

"I wanted to wish Elise a happy birthday."

"At six in the morning? And you do realize that her birthday was yesterday right? You haven't seen her in months. What makes you think I am going to let you see her now?"

"You said I could be a part of her life if I wanted."

"That was when I honestly thought you would change. Also she is asleep and I am not going to wake her for you.

"Fine, you don't have to wake her. Could you at least give her this?" Rhonda pulled a pink envelope out of her pocket and tried to hand it to Arnold.

Izzy grabbed the envelope before Arnold could. "You think you can just give her up and then try this crap!?"

"Izzy."

"It's not fair! You adults think you can just leave us one day and be in our good graces the next."

"Izzy." Arnold had never seen her act out like this before. He knew there was more to this outburst than she was letting on.

"You can take this card and shove it! Izzy threw the card back at Rhonda. "She is no longer your daughter, so you need to leave! Elise has a family now, she doesn't need…"

"Isabella Maria Shortman! Go to your room! NOW!"

There were few occasions when her father would use her full name. There were even less occasions that Arnold would actually yell. Never one to disobey her father, Izzy walked away from the two adults. She walked upstairs to her bedroom slamming the door once she was inside causing Elise and the other girls to wake up.

Arnold heard the slam of the bedroom door. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked at Rhonda who had a stunned look on her face. "How many adults get put in their place by an eight year old?" He thought to himself. He could count on one hand how many times he had to yell at Izzy. He always felt guilty afterwards. "She is right you know. After all this time, I shouldn't give Elise this card. The only reason I am is because I am going to let her make her own decisions when it comes to you. I do have one question though. Why are you doing this?"

"Can't a person try to change?" Rhonda handed the card back to Arnold.

Arnold didn't trust Rhonda. He was going to have to make a few calls to check things out. "People like you don't change."

"I really appreciate this Arnold." Rhonda said. She signaled the chauffeur who was sitting on the hood. He walked over to door and opened for her.

Once he closed the door the chauffeur turned and bowed to Arnold. "Good day sir." At the same time he pointed to the envelope in Arnold's hand and made a ripping motion with his hands.

Once the limo pulled off, Arnold looked at the envelope in his hands. Questions were circling in his mind. He wanted to read it, but he would never invade his daughter's privacy. He walked back in the house and closed the door, only to see Elise standing at the top of the stairs.

"Dad? What's going on? Everyone heard yelling and Izzy's door slamming. Is everything ok?" Elise was standing at the top of the stairs in her pajamas.

"Come into the living room sweetie. We need to talk." Arnold walked into the living room sat down and waited for Elise. He looked at the clock on the wall, it was almost seven in the morning. At this point he just wanted to go back to sleep.

Elise came into the living room and sat down beside her father. "What's wrong?"

"Here sweetie." Going against his better judgement, Arnold handed her the envelope. "This is from your mother. She wanted to wish you happy birthday. You can open it or you can throw it away, it's your choice."

Elise looked at the pink envelope. After a few seconds she handed it back to her father. "I don't want it, I just wanted to check and make sure things were ok. The girls were kind of nervous when they heard a door slam. We are going to go back to sleep." She got up off the couch, kissed her father on the cheek and walked back to her room.

Arnold got up from the couch and started walking towards Izzy's room. As a precaution he slid the pink envelope under the door in his office, seeing as it might cause another outburst from Izzy. He wasn't mad at her, but he had taught her to mind her manners in the presence of adult. He would open the envelope later.

Once he reached the stairs to the attic, he looked at Elise's bedroom door. Laughing and conversation could be heard through the door. He was happy that Rhonda's visit didn't spoil things for her. He slowly walked up to Izzy's bedroom door. He was about to open the door when he heard two voices inside the room. He didn't want to eavesdrop, but he recognized one of the voices as Angela's. He was about to place his ear against the door when his name was called.

"Arnold." Gerald said sleepily from the doorway of the suite he and Phoebe were sleeping in. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah." Arnold said. "Everything is fine. Go back to sleep. The chefs should be her around eleven to cook brunch for everyone."

Gerald took a good look at his best friend. "You sure you're ok?" Gerald said. He sounded both tired and worried.

"Yeah. Just tired." Arnold walked towards to his room. Once inside he fell face first on the bed.

**Izzy's Room**

Angela didn't move when she heard the door to Arnold's room open. Once she saw who entered his room, she was glad that she put on his shirt during the night. Once Arnold got up and left the room, she couldn't help but wonder about the situation that was currently unfolding downstairs. This was her first night with Arnold and she didn't want to pry into his family's personal life. He told her about the type of woman Elise's mother was, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for the child. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the comfort of Arnold's bed preferring not to think about negative subjects.

_"Isabella Maria Shortman! Go to your room! NOW!"_

Angela had never heard Arnold yell before. The fact that he yelled at his daughter was even more surprising. She heard the sound of little feet stomping down the hallway and jumped when she heard the sound of a door slamming. Getting out of the bed, she put her ear to the door. Seconds passed and she heard the door across the hall open.

"Just relax guys, I'll go see what's going on." Elise said. She heard a door close and footsteps going down the hallway.

Angela found herself going into Arnold's closet looking for something to put on. She found herself wanting to comfort Izzy. Once she found something suitable, a pair of pajama bottoms, she carefully snuck out of Arnold's room and up to Izzy's. It wasn't until she was at the top of the stairs that she remembered that Arnold's bedroom door had a key code for it. She would ask Izzy if she let her back inside. Realizing that she may be in over her head, Angela knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" There was anger in Izzy's voice.

"It's Angela, can I come in?" She waited to see what the girl would do. A minute later the door opened slightly. After a second of hesitation, Angela walked in to see Izzy sitting on her couch curled into a ball. She sat down beside Izzy. "What wrong?" She wanted to hold the small girl to make her feel better.

"I don't want to talk about it." Izzy said in a low tone. Wanting to feel some form of comfort at the moment she move closer to Angela and laid her head down on her lap. "Are you and my father dating?"

Arnold warned Angela that Izzy could be blunt. Since she wanted to have a positive relationship with both of his daughters, she figured honesty would be the best policy. "We would like to." She used her fingers to start combing through Izzy's hair. "If it bothers you girls, we won't." She wanted to make sure that Izzy was comfortable with her. Angela smiled at the fact that an actual Green Eye child was sitting in her lap. She did share and interest in the Green Eyes folklore just like her brother and father, only she had no interest in hurting them or stealing their land.

"It's fine with me, Izzy and Alexis."

"You all know?"

"When is my father going to learn that I know everything that goes on in this house?" Izzy said sarcastically. "It was obvious the first time you two met and you would have to be blind to not have seen it yesterday. Everyone noticed that you kept kissing him on the cheek during the party." She sat up to look Angela in the eyes. "Seeing you in his bed was just the physical proof to my theory."

"Um…" Angela didn't really know what to say back. After a moment of silence, she decided to put all her cards on the table. "I do really care about your father, but there is more to it than just your approval."

"Is that because your father killed my grandparents, your brother caused the death of my mother and a lot of Green Eyes. And then there is the possibility that my father killed your brother." She looked at the grown woman with a straight face.

"This is supposed to be an eight year old girl." She thought to herself. Angela was stunned by the words that just came out of the Izzy's mouth. "Y-you know about all of that?" A chill went up her spine. "Do Elise and Alexis know?"

"No, and it wouldn't matter if they did. All that bad stuff directly effects my father, you and myself. It's been years and there is nothing we can do about it." Izzy placed her hand on Angela's. "I like you Ms. Angela and if you and my dad make each other happy, then be happy." Izzy smiled at Angela. "The past is the past."

Angela didn't know how to respond to Izzy. It amazed her that a child could handle such complex situations. She was happy yet curious, so she asked the only question she could think of. "How do you know all about all of this?"

"There isn't much that I don't know when it comes to my father." Izzy smiled at Angela. The truth was that when her father sleepwalked up to the roof, he didn't always talk quietly. Most of the time she thought that he was talking to her mother, but on some occasions he seemed like he was talking to himself. It was on these occasions that her father would talk about things that of scared her. That was how she learned about most of her father's past. She was and would always be his secret keeper. "I know you are locked out of my father's room, I can let you back in if you want." Izzy got up and walked towards the door. She was ending the conversation before Angela could ask any more questions.

"I would appreciate that, Izzy." Angela got up and followed the young girl down the attic stairs. Once they reached Arnold room, Izzy typed in the code to the door which had been change months back. Arnold was laying in his bed facing the window. "Thank you, Izzy. Angela said as she entered the bedroom.

"Your welcome." Izzy closed the door and walked back up to her room. She didn't want to go back into the Elise's room with all the girls. There was space, but to Izzy it felt crowded. She wasn't claustrophobic but just like her father, she loved her space. Once she was back in her room, she laid on her bed and watched television.

**Arnold's Room**

Once the door to Arnold's room closed Angela slid back into bed with Arnold. She moved close to him and kissed him on his bare shoulder.

"Is she ok?" Arnold said barely moving. His eyes were closed by he wasn't sleeping.

Angela jumped at hearing his voice. She slapped him on the shoulder. "You startled me. I thought you were asleep mi amour." She pulled him on to his back a straddled him like she did earlier that morning. When they were face to face she repeatedly kissed him lightly. "She is ok. She didn't say anything about what happened downstairs, but I learned something else."

"And that is." Arnold asked between her kisses.

"Isabella already knows everything about our past." Angela stopped kissing Arnold and looked into his eyes. "She didn't say how she knew, but she said she is ok with us. So are Alexis and Elise." She expected more of a reaction from Arnold, but he only smiled. "It doesn't worry you that she knows all of this?"

Arnold chuckled. "No it doesn't. It only took him a second to figure out how Izzy would know something so private. She sat diligently by his side when he would sleepwalk.

"Am I missing something?" Angela said looking down at him with an eyebrow raised. She wasn't going to pry, but she did find it odd that he would laugh about Izzy knowing something so violent.

"It's a father/daughter thing for now. One day you will understand." He pulled Angela down to him and kissed her with passion. "Trust me."

"I do." Angela said, returning his kisses with passion.

**Chapter 13 Completed. Please Read and Review.**

**A/N: If you haven't realized it yet, Arnold and Helga are not going to become a couple. From this chapter forward both Helga and Arnold are going to move forward in their lives. The best part is…there are more secrets that are going to come to the surface.**


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